III Global Forum on NCD Prevention and Control
November 6-14, 2003
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Hotel Inter-Continental Rio
Sponsored by PAHO, WHO and the Government of Brazil

The goal of the Global Forum is to contribute to Global integrated NCD prevention and control through dissemination of information, exchange of experiences, and support of regional and national networks in line with the Global Strategy approved by the 53rd World Health Assembly in May 2000 (Resolution 53.17). This event will provide an exceptional opportunity to:

• Take stock on the progress being made in countries worldwide about NCD prevention and control;
• Support regional and national initiatives and contribute to the regional networks;
• Raise awareness about the paramount importance of ensuring that NCD prevention is placed on the agenda of health care policy.

The Forum will bring together NCD program leaders from all six WHO Regions, as well as representatives from the Brazilian government and leading figures of the World Bank, World Heart Federation, International Union Against Cancer; who will share their expertise, exchange their country experience, and will propose national and regional initiatives to tackle the NCD epidemic.

The CARMEN Network is one of the six WHO's regional networks. The other participant networks are CINDI from EURO, MOANA from WPRO, IMAN from EMRO, NANDI from AFRO and this year we will receive participants from a network in SEARO.

This year the government of Brazil will host the Global Forum in Rio de Janeiro from the 6th to the 14th of November 2003: PAHO has taken the opportunity to organize the following meetings on NCD Prevention and Control, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, before and after the Global Forum:

• The Global School Health Survey Implementation Training Workshop, organized in partnership with WHO the CDC, and the Government of Brazil, from the 6th to the 8th of November 2003.
• The Local NCD Surveillance Systems Meeting, from the 7th to the 8th of November 2003, in partnership with the CDC.
• The III Global Forum on NCD Prevention and Control, from the 9th to the 12th of November 2003, in partnership with WHO/HQ and the Government of Brazil.
• The Biannual CARMEN Network General Assembly, from the 13th to the 14th of November 2003, in partnership with the Government of Brazil.

The Global School Health Survey (GSHS) is a school-based survey conducted primarily among 13-15 year old students using a standardized scientific sample selection process; common school-based methodology; and 10 core questionnaire modules. This training workshop will provide the first round of training to eight countries from the Latin American and Caribbean.

The Workshop on Epidemiological Surveillance of NCDs will review the methodological aspects of surveillance, show the advances in surveillance in the region, and make recommendations to overcome the barriers for effective organization of surveillance in LAC. The participants are the four countries to which a grant for local surveillance was awarded and others that have initiated a surveillance process in their Ministries of Health.

The Biannual CARMEN Network General Assembly
The purpose of the Biannual Meeting of the CARMEN Network General Assembly is to report on the achievements of the Network, the difficulties member countries are currently facing, and provide an opportunity for the countries to find joint solutions on noncommuinicable disease (NCD) prevention. This year's meeting will review the recommendations that took place during the CARMEN Network Directing Board Meeting in the summer of 2003. El Salvador, Guatemala, and Trinidad & Tobago will introduce themselves as new members to the Network. Attention will be given to the challenges and difficulties of NCD prevention, the effectiveness of community interventions, and the technical contributions of each country to the Network.

Current members of the CARMEN Network are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad & Tobago. The Caribbean Lifestyle Sub-Regional Network, which unites all the English and Dutch Speaking countries, is an active associated network of CARMEN, and with the technical support of PAHO, Aruba, Curacao, Honduras, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela, are taking the necessary steps to join the Network.

Associate members include The Americas' Network for Chronic Diseases, The Physical Activity Network of the Americas (PANA)/ La Red de Actividad Físca de las Américas (RAFA)/, The Produce for Better Health Foundation: 5 A Day for Better Health, and the Pan American Hypertension Initiative/NHLBI.