News

Brussels, September 23, 2026

At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81), the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) continued to drive on how to turn the WHO kidney health resolution into action, working with partners across disease areas and linking kidney health to the broader agenda of stronger, more sustainable health systems for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The engagement comes as countries look ahead to the 2027 United Nations High-level meeting on universal health coverage (UHC).

Kidney health as a stress test for stronger health systems

On the sidelines of UNGA81, the ISN and Devex convened “The Health System Stress Test: Integrated NCD Care for UHC,” bringing together health, development, and finance leaders to explore a shift from single-disease approaches toward integrated NCD care. ISN President Marcello Tonelli, Guyana’s Minister of Health, Frank Anthony, and Pan American Health Organization Director Jarbas Barbosa were among the speakers.

Using kidney health as a test of health system readiness, the discussion examined how integrated NCD care can strengthen primary care and make health systems more resilient, equitable, and sustainable. It also considered how momentum from the WHO kidney health resolution can help inform the road to the 2027 UHC political declaration.

The ISN-Devex event was supported by the ISN Strategic Partner Program.

Building coordinated action across NCDs

The ISN also continued to build partnerships across disease areas at UNGA81. On September 23, Professor Tonelli participated in the event “Reducing the Stroke Burden: Translating the WHA Resolution Into Action” hosted by the World Stroke Organization, which focused on implementing the WHO resolutions on kidney health and stroke.

The discussion reinforced a central ISN advocacy priority: moving from disease-specific commitments toward coordinated approaches that address shared risk factors.

“Kidney disease shows why integrated care matters. Preventing and managing kidney disease effectively depends on primary care, early detection, access to essential medicines and diagnostics, and sustainable financing all working together. If we can build health systems that deliver across that continuum, we strengthen care not only for people with kidney disease, but for people living with NCDs more broadly,” said Professor Tonelli.

In addition, Professor Tonelli spoke at the high-level roundtable, Hosted by the Partnership for Women’s Wellness and Siemens Healthineers during UNGA81, the event brought together global health leaders to address diagnostic delays, screening gaps, and clinical barriers affecting women’s health.

Making the case for sustainable investment in kidney health

These health system priorities are reflected in the ISN’s August 2026 position paper, “Why financing kidney health matters,” which provides governments and the WHO with practical recommendations for financing kidney and NCD care more sustainably and supporting coordinated, person-centered care through UHC.

The paper highlights how kidney disease exposes the consequences of underfunded NCD care and calls for countries to move from commitment to implementation by addressing four questions: which services and products should be covered, how support should be allocated, how access can be improved, and who will deliver care.

Specifically, it recommends including essential diagnostics, medicines, and medical devices in UHC benefit packages; prioritizing prevention and continuity of care in financing models; improving affordable access to essential health products; and investing in multidisciplinary primary-care teams.