NCDI Poverty Network Steering Committee holds its first meeting

The NCDI Poverty Network Steering Committee held its first meeting on 4 February 2021. The meeting marked another major milestone for the Network, following its successful launch at a global virtual event attended by more than 300 people from 53 countries in December 2020.

Over the course of two hours, the Steering Committee reviewed, discussed, and strongly endorsed the proposed network structure and its four strategic initiatives:

• Expanding the NCDI Poverty Network – Policy and Awareness

• Integration Science – Service Delivery Design

• PEN-Plus Partnership – Implementation, Service Delivery, & Training

• NCDI Poverty Fund – Financing & Scale-Up

The Steering Committee agreed to finalize and ratify the NCDI Poverty Network Charter by 12 February, allowing one week for a last round of review and minor revisions.

The Committee also endorsed plans to establish a co-secretariat based jointly at the Program in Global NCDs and Social Change at Harvard Medical School and at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane/Mozambique Institute for Health Education and Research. The co-secretariat will support the Steering Committee and the Network in the areas of coordination, research, advocacy and communications, administration, and resource mobilization and grant management.

The Steering Committee is led by the two co-chairs of the Lancet NCDI Poverty Commission — Drs. Gene Bukhman and Ana Olga Mocumbi. They invited seven initial members selected from the National NCDI Poverty Commission leadership to participate in the inaugural Steering Committee meeting. When all the seats on the Steering Committee are filled, it will have a total of 15 members, including 10 representatives of National NCDI Poverty Commissions (two each from West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Francophone Africa and the Caribbean, and Asia), and three advocates representing people living with NCDIs in poorest billion countries.