18 December, 2025
ERS and the European Lung Foundation (ELF) have praised the UN General Assembly for its landmark adoption of a global declaration on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health, despite geopolitical pressures.
This marks the first time that a declaration has included a dedicated section on respiratory disease (Article 55); it is pivotal to advancing equitable, integrated care for lung health worldwide.
Specifically, Article 55 will promote national policies for an integrated approach to lung health – including the scaling up of prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of asthma and COPD – the two main chronic respiratory diseases.
Article 55 also reflects the efforts of the WHO Europe/ERS report on CRDs in the WHO European Region, published earlier this year. The report highlights that CRDs are vastly under diagnosed, poorly managed and underestimated in their effects on health systems across Europe.
The UN declaration incorporates the recommendations of the WHO Europe/ERS report – which calls for:
- Access to effective treatment
- Strengthened diagnostic services
- Establishing structured programmes and services for the long-term management of CRDs.
ERS remains ready to support the UN General Assembly and Member States to see progress on targets – particularly those related to respiratory diseases.
Read the full ERS/ELF response.
Access the WHO Europe/ERS report into CRDs in the WHO European Region.