ABSTRACT Surveillance underpinned by the global monitoring framework provide internationally comparable data on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors over time and benchmarks the situation in individual countries against others. Over the last decade, data on 25 indicators of the global monitoring framework have provided the foundation for advocacy, policy development, political commitment, and accountability for NCD prevention and control. This paper discusses how surveillance and monitoring have helped to prioritize NCDs in the global health agenda, reinforce political commitment, galvanize international support, and promote accountability for prevention and control of NCDs at global, regional and national levels. It outlines why surveillance and monitoring are absolutely essential for governance of NCD prevention and control including the development and implementation of NCD plans, policies, coordination mechanisms, financing strategies and a health system response. In addition, it underscores the seminal role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in surveillance and monitoring of the NCD burden at global, regional, and national levels.
S. Mendis (Thu,) studied this question.