NEW YORK, NY – (September 20, 2024) – The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, the European Brain Council (EBC), the Brain Capital Alliance, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute today announced the launch of a worldwide campaign to elevate brain health to the top of global health and economic agendas on the occasion of a high-level side event at the Science Summit of the 79th United Nations General Assembly. Joined by notable international organizations such as UNICEF, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Brain Research Africa Foundation and more, the campaign is working to place brain health – neurological and mental – at the top of global policy agendas.
The Global Brain Campaign is led by a coalition that brings together leading players in brain health and builds on growing momentum in business collaboration in support of brain health and brain health policy, such as the implementation of WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plans in the brain health area, the preparation towards a Brain Health Partnership in the European Union, the Yaoundé Declaration on Brain Economy passed in Cameroon, the recent Future of Dementia in Africa conference hosted with Nature and the Aga Khan University Brain and Mind Institute in Nairobi aiming to identify inclusive, effective solutions for brain health across all populations and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s work to advance policies that support measurement informed mental and brain health across the United States.
“Brain health is fundamental to human and societal well-being, productivity and resilience,” said George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of DAC. “When powerhouse organizations focused on brain health unite to mount a global campaign, we believe we can drive exponential progress in understanding, treating and preventing brain disorders that affect billions worldwide.”
“There is a clear momentum and opportunity to foster synergies between the initiatives at national, regional and global levels. Such coordination is crucial to achieve greater policy recognition of the notions of brain research, brain innovation, brain health but also of the brain as a societal capital and value,” said Fred Destrebecq, EBC Executive Director.
“The Yaoundé Declaration is an Africa-led and global alliance-based effort to advance awareness, understanding and action toward the brain-positive economic transformation aka brain economy. We are grateful to the support of the Cameroonian President, His Excellency Paul Biya, for his patronage for this document, and for the Cameroonian “chair” role at the 79th United Nations General Assembly,” noted Harris Eyre, Executive Director of the Brain Capital Alliance and lead of Neuro-Policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
“The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is proud to work alongside these distinguished partners to raise global awareness of the importance of brain health and to help promote research and policy solutions that will improve the lives of the 970 million people around the world with a mental health disorder,” said Andy Keller, president and CEO of the Meadows Institute.
The Global Brain Campaign will focus on several key priorities, including:
- Building brain resilience and ending brain disorders across the globe.
- Driving economic prosperity through investments in brain health and brain capital.
- Addressing systemic inequities, social, economic, and environmental factors that impact brain health.
Members of the Coalition call on committed organizations across the globe to join this critical effort to shape the future of global brain health. The campaign will be showcased at upcoming events, including the G7 Ministers of Health side meetings in Ancona, Italy, the CEOi annual global Lausanne XI Workshop, in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
For more information on the Global Brain Campaign and how to get involved, please visit globalbraincampaign.com.
About the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) is a pioneering worldwide initiative to cure Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain health, seeking to mirror the success of global efforts against infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Covid, and Malaria. DAC is extending global research beyond its current focus on traditional Western European ethnic populations into the highly diversified populations of the Global South, where the vast majority of those with Alzheimer’s live. By introducing lower-cost screening and diagnostic tools, as well as new treatment and prevention modalities in primary care and community health settings, DAC is driving implementation of health system solutions that are appropriate for worldwide application. DAC also promotes the vital importance of brain health throughout the lifespan by addressing cardiometabolic and lifestyle factors, especially in early and mid-life. Absent effective action at scale around the world, by 2050, more than 150 million families and half a billion people will be personally impacted by dementia, creating a social, financial, economic, and global security disaster of historic proportions. DAC was launched in Davos in 2021 by the World Economic Forum and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease.
For more information, please visit: davosalzheimerscollaborative.org
About the European Brain Council
The European Brain Council (EBC) is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels encompassing scientific societies, patient organisations, professional societies and industry partners. Its main mission is to promote brain health and research with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of millions of Europeans living with brain conditions. Aiming to speak with one voice, EBC stands as the platform to foster cooperation between its member organizations and other stakeholders, consistently promoting dialogue between scientists, industry and society. As the network of key players in the “Brain Area” in Europe, EBC uniquely has become the go-to organization to strengthen ties within the broader community at the European and global levels.
For more information, please visit: braincouncil.eu
Brain Capital Alliance
The Brain Capital Alliance is a global public-private-people partnership which is advancing the brain-positive economic transformation aka brain economy. The brain economy is a global goal to stop and reverse the loss of brain capital, an asset which encompasses social, emotional and cognitive brain resources. The Brain Capital Alliance is a multi-organizational manifestation of the earlier Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Neuroscience-inspired Policy Initiative. The Global Brain Capital Dashboard was launched in 2023 via a publication from The Brookings Institution. The Alliance is made of organizations and experts from across economics, neuroscience, health care, labor, education, innovation, banking and finance.
For more information, please visit: https://braincapital-platform.net/
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute works at the intersection of policy and programs to create equitable systemic changes so al people in Texas, the nation, and the world can obtain the health care they need, providing independent, nonpartisan, datadriven, and trusted policy and program guidance to improve mental health services in Texas. It’s about more than funding at the state level. It’s about leveraging our resources statewide at a grassroots level—sharing best practices, making resources available, accessing information, building protocol—and using that information to help those who need it most.
For more information, please visit: https://mmhpi.org/
USAgainstAlzheimer’s
UsAgainstAlzheimer’s is engaged in a relentless pursuit to end Alzheimer’s, the sixth leading killer in America. Its work centers on prevention, early detection and diagnosis, and access to treatments – all regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity. To achieve its mission, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s gives voice to patients and caregivers while partnering with government, scientists, the private sector, and allied organizations. The Business Collaborative for Brain Health, an initiative of UsAgainstAlzhimer’s is uniting leading private sector companies and institutions to optimize cognitive health for better business results and healthy longevity.
For more information, please visit: https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/