OneNeurology welcomes the adoption of the UN Political Declaration on NCDs and mental health, agreed following the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on 25 September 2025 and adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2025. This Declaration is a turning point for the neurology community because it explicitly recognises brain health and neurological conditions within the NCD and mental health agenda, and notes the interaction between mental health conditions and neurological conditions including dementia, stroke sequelae, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy.

For people living with neurological conditions worldwide—and for their caregivers—this recognition creates a stronger mandate for governments to:
Integrate neurological services into universal health coverage, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and long-term care.

Plan health systems that address comorbidity and disability, reflecting the reality that mental health conditions can co-occur with neurological conditions and increase overall morbidity and mortality risk.
Include people living with conditions, families and caregivers as partners in policy design, implementation and monitoring.
Patient advocacy groups should be pleased that the Declaration:
Elevates an integrated, equity-oriented approach and acknowledges populations facing disproportionate burden and barriers to services—an essential lens for neurology where late diagnosis, stigma, and service scarcity remain common.
Commits to strengthening health literacy, surveillance, data systems, and accountability, enabling better visibility of neurological need and better tracking of service coverage and outcomes.
Reinforces the importance of multisectoral action and partnerships—critical for neurological conditions that require action across health, education, social protection, employment, and disability inclusion.
However, OneNeurology also highlights shortcomings that must be addressed in national implementation:
Neurological conditions are referenced, but without consistent operationalisation—including dedicated financing commitments, service coverage targets, workforce actions, and indicators specific to neurological care and long-term support.
The Declaration’s prevention and financing language was weakened during negotiations (including less specific commitments on taxation of health-harming products), risking missed opportunities to reduce exposure to major determinants of NCDs and to mobilise domestic resources for health.

These gaps can be bridged through aligned implementation of:
WHO IGAP 2022–2031, which provides an actionable, intersectoral roadmap to improve access to treatment and care and quality of life for people with epilepsy and other neurological disorders, including support for carers and families, and to promote brain health across the life course.

The Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3.4 (NCD mortality and mental health) and SDG 3.8 (universal health coverage), which provide a cross-government accountability framework that can be used to drive inclusion of neurological conditions in national plans, budgets, and reporting processes.
OneNeurology calls on Member States, WHO, and partners to ensure that the Declaration’s recognition of brain health translates into delivery: integrated care pathways, equitable access to essential medicines and technologies, strengthened neurology and rehabilitation workforces, disability-inclusive services, and formal recognition and support for caregivers. The neurology community stands ready to partner with governments to implement the Declaration, accelerate IGAP delivery, and ensure that no person living with a neurological condition is left behind.