Objectives
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause roughly three out of four deaths globally, with people living in low- and middle-income countries disproportionately affected. These lives lost to NCDs are premature and preventable, but the ability to change the situation is thwarted by a lack of development financing or misdirected funds.
The outcome is an increase in risk for poor, vulnerable, and marginalized populations. Confounding factors trap people from these groups in to poverty and reinforce existing inequalities. Moreover, hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from mental health conditions exacerbated by COVID-19. Many of their needs remain unaddressed, which has led to negative outcomes trickling down into communities, affecting function and collective well-being. The pandemic exposed shortcomings of earlier models for health and development, which include inadequate attention to prevention or determinants of health, and narrow approaches within health sectors.
Strategic framework and theory of change
To overcome emerging barriers NCD and mental health crises are erecting, partners of the Health4Life Fund apply whole-of-government, whole-of-society, and One-UN solutions that put governments and communities on the same page when addressing five of the biggest risk factors around the world: tobacco and alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and air pollution.
By linking social determinants of health with mental health and NCDs, stakeholders can design, operationalize, and scale-up proven, cost-effective solutions to drive efficiencies, increase domestic financing opportunities, and improve policies, legislation and regulation to curb negative health and behavioural trends. Partners combine novel approaches to development financing with global solidarity movements and adherence to the core principles of: Country-led, catalytic, cross-sectoral, equity-driven, and impact oriented.
Rallying around these principles makes the Health4Life Fund a catalyst for national changemakers to scale up socio-political, financial and technical responses to deliver on WHO ‘best buys’ and other interventions for preventing and controlling NCDs. Strategic action promotes mental health and well-being, human rights and recovery, and the reduction of mortality, morbidity, and impact of mental health conditions for people living with disabilities. It also enhances the effectiveness of United Nations country teams in harmonizing and aligning activities around national plans that speak to each unique context to collectively deliver impactful and sustainable results.
Investing in NCDs and mental health offers multiple socioeconomic benefits to implement the most cost-effective and workable interventions to prevent and control NCDs, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Saving lives and spending less has showed that if countries apply the most cost-effective interventions they can, by 2030, not only save millions but also see a return of $7 US dollars per person for every dollar invested.
Implementing ‘best buys’ and other recommended interventions can lead to improved NCD and mental health outcomes by providing significant returns on investment. Those behind the Health4Life Fund hope to cover the distance towards enabling stakeholders to deliver on SDG target 3.4 and make significant contributions to other SDG 3 targets and Sustainable Development Goals.
> $55M 
$55M - $25M
$25M - $5M
< $5M
