More coherence between health, trade and investment laws, policies and sectors could play an important role in combating non-communicable diseases in the Pacific.
Heart disease, cancers, lung disease and diabetes are the leading causes of death in the Pacific with most countries losing their productive citizens to NCDs.
The United Nations Development Programme's Ferdinand Strobel says health and trade interests in the region are often developed in silos and end up undermining each others' efforts.
Country reps attend the Law, NCD, Trade and Sustainable Development Workshop. Photo: UNDP
He said with the right legal framework they could be made to work together to help in the fight against NCDs.
"The end game obviously is to see that the prevalence of non communicable diseases or the premature death of people in the Pacific decrease and to do that what would be good and beneficial is that there is a bit more coherence between trade policies and health policies."
