Time to act on sugars: Advancing health equity and tackling noncommunicable diseases with a focus on oral diseases

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Colleagues and friends:

It is a true honour to join you today at this vital side event during the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health.

This gathering reminds us that behind every statistic is a human life - a child who cannot sleep from tooth pain, a parent who struggles to afford treatment, a community burdened by preventable disease.

Let me begin by expressing heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Malaysia - for its leadership in convening this event.

Your unwavering commitment to tackling oral diseases and reducing sugar consumption is not only commendable - it is courageous.

I also thank our co-organizers, co-sponsoring countries, and partners for standing together in this fight.

In the Western Pacific Region, NCDs remain our greatest health challenge. Oral diseases - affecting 820 million people or 42% of our population - are among the most widespread, yet most preventable.

Globally, the picture is even more sobering - untreated dental caries in permanent teeth is the single most common health condition in the world according to the Global Burden of Disease 2021.

Over 514 million children suffer from dental caries in their primary teeth.

The main driver? Excessive sugar consumption - the same culprit fuelling obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The economic toll is staggering - over US$ 100 billion in direct costs, and nearly US$ 85 billion in productivity losses. But the human cost is even greater.

Oral health is not a luxury - it is the ability to eat, speak, and smile without pain. It is dignity.

In my home country Tonga, we have witnessed this challenge unfold before our eyes.

In 1986, a survey showed that the average six-year-old child had just one decayed tooth. By 1998 the number had risen to seven decayed teeth per child.

It was an alarming shift - one that we have been working tirelessly to halt ever since. We saw first-hand the impact of sugar on our children's oral health.

Sugary drinks and other products, often cheaper and more accessible than healthier options, were slowly stealing our children's oral health.

And I am certain our story is not unique - it is repeated in villages, towns and cities across our Region and the world. We must reduce sugar consumption.

This is not just an oral health intervention - it is an NCD prevention strategy, a poverty reduction measure, and a health equity imperative.

We are not starting from zero. Member States have endorsed the Global Oral Health Action Plan, and in our Region, we are preparing to launch the first-ever Western Pacific Regional Implementation Plan.

This plan prioritizes integration of oral health into primary health care and universal health coverage, health promotion across the life course, and stronger governance and accountability.

It also calls for bold, upstream action to reduce sugar consumption and create healthier environments - in line with the Bangkok Declaration and our regional vision of weaving health for families, communities and societies.

As we approach this high-level meeting, we have a rare opportunity to shape the political declaration. Let us ensure oral health and sugar reduction are not footnotes, but central pillars of our NCD strategies.

WHO stands ready to support Member States in turning global commitments into national action - and in confronting the commercial determinants of health with courage and clarity.

Together, we can reduce sugar-related harm, tackle oral diseases, and build stronger, fairer health systems for all.

Because as we've said before - and must keep saying - there is no health without oral health.