AstraZeneca and UNICEF Launch Collaboration

AstraZeneca and UNICEF launch global partnership to raise awareness among 5 million young people over the next 6 years AstraZeneca is launching a worldwide partnership with UNICEF and other partners to work on raising awareness among young people about the risks and impact of non-communicable diseases through its Youth Health Programme. The programme, which aims to reach more than five million young people over the next six years, targets the training of 1,000 youth leaders. Within the scope of this partnership, AstraZeneca will more than triple its funding commitment to the Youth Health Programme by 2025. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies non-communicable diseases as the leading cause of death globally and emphasises that 70 per cent of premature deaths from these diseases are linked to behaviours and habits that first emerge during adolescence. Similarly, the World Economic Forum's report projects that non-communicable diseases will have an economic impact exceeding 47 trillion dollars on the global economy by 2030 due to workforce losses. AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot said: "We believe young people have the power to reduce the burden of disease we face across the world today. Working to improve the health of communities and future generations is one of the most important steps in building strong health systems." Gary Stahl, Director of Special Fundraising and Partnerships at UNICEF, said: "As UNICEF, we are very pleased to join a community of partners focused on this area with AstraZeneca's support, to draw attention to non-communicable diseases, which are currently the leading cause of death. Through the right connections to deliver the right message, there is much we need to do to promote healthy habits."