Abstract
This groundbreaking technical paper is informed by and supports the effort by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to tackle the economic and commercial determinants of health—as set out in the 2023 Bridgetown Declaration. In particular, the paper addresses the challenges and opportunities for SIDS in addressing the economic and commercial determinants of noncommunicable diseases, mental health conditions, injuries and violence.
The paper was unveiled during an official side event at the 78th World Health Assembly focusing on the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health. It is the first comprehensive analysis examining how commercial determinants specifically impact health outcomes in SIDS, identifying both challenges and opportunities for intervention.
It reveals several critical common and shared vulnerabilities of SIDS which underpin their economic and commercial determinants of health, and outlines five key opportunity areas for addressing economic and commercial determinants of health in SIDS.
The paper was unveiled during an official side event at the 78th World Health Assembly focusing on the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health. It is the first comprehensive analysis examining how commercial determinants specifically impact health outcomes in SIDS, identifying both challenges and opportunities for intervention.
It reveals several critical common and shared vulnerabilities of SIDS which underpin their economic and commercial determinants of health, and outlines five key opportunity areas for addressing economic and commercial determinants of health in SIDS.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Publisher | World Health Organization |
| Number of pages | 77 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9789240090941 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789240090958 |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Mar 2025 |
Acknowledgements
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges with thanks all those who contributed to the planning, development and review of this Technical Paper.Direction and leadership
This Technical Paper was produced under the direction of Etienne Krug, Director, Department of Social Determinants of Health, WHO, and leadership of Ailan Li, Assistant Director General, Universal Health Coverage and Healthier Populations, WHO.
Technical writers
The following Department of Social Determinants of Health, WHO, technical writers contributed to the drafting of the Technical Paper: Monika Kosinska, Daniel Hunt, Amber van den Akker, Juliette McHardy, Tamara Persaud, Sebastian Rositano. The following external technical writer contributed to the drafting of the Technical Paper: Nason Maani (University of Edinburgh).
WHO African Region contributors and reviewers
Karen Nadine Lewis-Bell (WHO Country Office, Belize); Chantal Kambire-Diarra (WHO Country Office, Burkina Faso); Georgina Bonet Arroyo, (WHO Country Office, Kenya); Anne Marie Ancia (WHO Country Office, Mauritius); Nokuthula Gwebu, Doreen Hotive, Rex Gadama Mpazanje (WHO Country Office, Seychelles); Eva das Dores Pascoal (WHO Regional Office for Africa).
WHO Region of the Americas contributors and reviewers
Roxana González López, Pedro Lopez, (WHO Country Office, Cuba); Oscar Barrenech (WHO Country Office, Haiti); Eldonna Boisson (WHO Country Office, Bahamas); Darlene Taylor (WHO Regional Office for the Americas).
WHO South-East Asia Region contributors and reviewers
Nazneen Anwar, Fathimath Hudha, Padmal De Silva (WHO Country Office, Maldives); Suvajee Good, Cherian Varghese (WHO Regional Office for the South-East Asia).
WHO European Region contributors and reviewers
Shahin Huseynov, Leonardo Palumbo, (WHO Regional Office for Europe).
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region contributors and reviewers
Zahra Ahmed, Samar Elfeky (WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean).
WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific contributors and reviewers
Wendy Snowdon (WHO Country Office, Kiribati); Rabindra Romauld Abeyasinghe, Chun Paul Soo (WHO Country Office, Malaysia); Kim Eva Dickson (WHO Country Office, Samoa); Howard Lawrence Sobel (WHO Country Office, Solomon Islands); Eunyoung Ko (WHO Country Office, Vanuatu); Amy Bestman, Emma Callon, Fang Dan, Mina Kashiwabara (WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific).
WHO headquarters contributors and reviewers
Robert Marten (Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research); Jessica Chi Ying, Haidong Wan (Department of Data and Analytics); Heather Adair-Rohani, Sophie Gumy (Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health); Gerardo Zamora Monge (Assistant Director General’s Office, Universal Health Coverage and Healthier Populations); Itziar Belausteguigoitia, Fiona Bull, Alison Commar, Kelvin Khow Chuan Heng, Kritika Khanijo, Rüdiger Krech, Benn McGrady, Jeremias Paul, Anne-Marie Perucic, Kerstin Schotte, Juan Tello, Shelley Wallace (Department of Health Promotion); Sylvia Garry, Rita Machado, Santino Severoni, (Department of Health and Migration); Veronique Chajes (International Agency for Research on Cancer); Nigel Rollins, Marcus Stahlhofer (Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing); Dan Chisholm (Department of Mental Health and Substance Use); Bente Mikkelson (Department of Noncommunicable Diseases); Francesco Branca, Katrin Engelhardt, Lina Mahy, Luz de Regil, Marjolein Smit (Department of Nutrition and Food Safety); Virginia Arnold, Douglas Bettcher, Stephanie Burrows, Alex Butchart, Thiago Hérick de Sá, Kacem Iaych, Caroline Lukaszyk, David Meddings, Tamitza Toroyan, Nhan Tran, Nicole Valentine (Department of Social Determinants of Health); Lara Brearley (Special Programme on Primary Health Care); Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Sabine Timco Iacazzi, Kate Lannan, Leticia Martinez Lopez, (WHO FCTC Convention Secretariat); Adam Tiliouine (WHO Health Emergencies Programme).
External reviewers
Sharon Friel (Australian National University); D. Beverley Barnett, Trevor Hassell, Maisha Hutton, Danielle Walwyn (Healthy Caribbean Coalition); Adolfo Alvarez, Isabel Gonzalvez (Instituto Nacional de Higiene y Epidemiología); Mellany Murgor (Kenya Medical Association); Cecile Knai, Mark Petticrew (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine); George Alleyne, Liz Arnanz, Ibtihal Fadhil, Ishu Kataria (NCD Alliance); Kate Heneghan (United Kingdom overseas territory of St Helena); Jean-Paul Adam (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa); David McCoy (United Nations University); Fran Baum (University of Adelaide); Ashley Bloomfeld (University of Auckland); Anna Gilmore (University of Bath); Alison Cox; Annette David (Univeristy of Guam); T. Alafia Samuels (University of the West Indies).
Consultation
Additional thanks are given to all participants of the deep-dive working group of the High-level technical meeting on noncommunicable diseases and mental health in Small Island Developing States, co-chaired by WHO, PAHO, and the Government of Barbados in January 2023 (3).
Financial contributions
Production of this document has been supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of WHO and should not be regarded as reflecting the position of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Keywords
- Policy
- small island states
- Commercial determinants of health
- Economic development
- Industry Influence
- Governance and public policy
- Climate change
- Public health
- trade and sustainable development
- Governance capacity
- Lobbying
- Multisectoral
- multistakeholderism
