Lowering Cholesterol, Increasing the Impact: The Case for Earlier Action to Address the CV Epidemic
Thursday, 21 May 2026 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM Panel Discussion | 1:00 – 3:00 PM Lunch & Networking | Mediterranée, Intercontinental Geneva
We are pleased to invite you to join our World Health Assembly side event bringing together global health leaders, policymakers, and experts to discuss one of the most urgent, but preventable drivers of cardiovascular disease worldwide, elevated LDL‑cholesterol (LDL‑C).
Why this event, why now?
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of the global cardiovascular (CV) epidemic, placing a substantial and growing burden on patients, health systems, and economies.
New analysis from the Office of Health Economics reveals the scale of this challenge: 261 million DALYs and up to Int$1.4 trillion in annual global costs attributed to ASCVD. Elevated LDL‑C, a modifiable risk factor, accounts for roughly one‑third of this burden.
Within these findings lies a “Prevention Paradox”: although people with the highest LDL-C face the greatest individual risk, the greatest aggregate burden from LDL-C related ASCVD is among the much larger group with moderately elevated LDL-C — individuals who are seldom reached by current prevention efforts. This session will focus on the policy implications of this evidence, exploring how earlier risk assessment, broader LDL‑C prioritization, and sustained prevention investment can reduce avoidable ASCVD, improve health‑system efficiency, and strengthen national NCD and cardiovascular action plans.
From Co‑Benefits to Core Value: Health in Climate Policy
Thursday, 21 May 2026 | 14:30 – 15:20 PM Panel Discussion | Health Diplomacy House
As climate action accelerates, health is increasingly cited as a co‑benefit, but too often health impacts remain undervalued, inconsistently measured, or sidelined in real investment and policy decisions. This small, interactive session at Health Diplomacy House will explore how economic evidence and value assessment can make health impacts visible, credible, and decision‑relevant in climate policy.
The discussion will examine how better alignment of climate and health evidence can strengthen cross‑government decisions, inform financing priorities, and support more effective climate action with meaningful health gains.
With contributions from OHE, LSHTM, and climate leaders, and limited to around 40 participants, the session is designed to enable focused exchange, practical insight, and candid discussion among senior policymakers, diplomats, and partners working at the climate–health–finance nexus.
Immunizing across the life course: Supporting healthy ageing, NCD management, and system resilience
Friday, 22 May 2026 | 13:00 – 14:20 PM Panel Discussion | World Health Organization Headquarters
Explore how prevention, particularly adult immunization, can serve as both a health imperative and an economic strategy in ageing societies, reducing predictable pressures on health systems, long-term care, and public budgets while sustaining population health and productive capacity.
Build on the political momentum from the 2025 UNGA High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health to identify actionable levers for strengthening life-course immunization across diverse health systems contexts.