Making every step count

This is the sixth From Plan to Impact report, monitoring the progress of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global action plan on the public health response to dementia 2017-2025.

This report tracks the progress of creating and implementing National Dementia Plans (NDP) in both World Health Organization (WHO) Member States and select non-member states. Within this report, you can find expert analyses and case studies from across the globe, focusing on the seven action areas outlined in the Global Action Plan (GAP).

As in the previous editions, the sixth edition of From Plan to Impact highlights the persistent gap between Member States’ progress and the goals established by the plan. 

Some of the key points of the report include: 

• The number of NDPs implemented by Member States has remained unchanged since 2022 at 39. This equates to around 26% of the 146 target, and only around a fifth of all 194 Member States agreeing to implement a plan in 2017. As of May 2023, 46 countries or territories (including non-Member States) had NDPs
• 54 new plans are needed annually to reach the WHO target of 146 plans (75% of Member States) by 2025. This is based on data collected from Alzheimer and dementia associations between January and April 2023 and assumes no additional plans are launched this calendar year
• Data collection and harmonisation is becoming increasingly important as global projects seek to understand the life-course factors that impact dementia. We must ensure that data is collected from across the globe, across diverse populations, or we risk using biased data that may undermine scientific understanding or the development of appropriate healthcare approaches
• In the absence of national dementia plans or in areas where dementia diagnosis and care pathways are disjointed and unclear, it is the third sector (eg: civil society, non-governmental organisations, etc.) that has developed innovative projects or services to plug key gaps through public-private partnerships
• Despite a decreasing emphasis on the COVID-19 pandemic globally, ADI continues its extensive efforts to influence plans for the future WHO Pandemic Preparedness and Response Treaty. The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people living with dementia should never be repeated, and governments must include humanitarian and pandemic response planning in their NDPs, as suggested in the Global Action Plan

Though progress on the GAP has been slow, ADI’s successful #WhatsYourPlan campaign demonstrates that collaborative efforts between governments and stakeholders can make a tangible impact on policy development and implementation of NDPs. The fight for a better world for people living with dementia is ongoing, and it is crucial to utilise all available means to transform this vision into reality. 

As such, ADI is calling for an urgent extension of the Global Action Plan until 2029 with current progress putting people living with dementia and their caregivers are at a severe disadvantage. This extension will provide a crucial opportunity to address the unmet needs and challenges faced by individuals living with dementia, ensuring their well-being and improving their quality of life.

With only a fifth of WHO Member States meeting their commitments to the Global Action Plan on dementia, urgent action is needed to address the escalating global dementia crisis.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Action Plan on dementia is failing to meet its targets, putting people living with dementia and their carers at a disadvantage.  

With only 20% of WHO Member States having fulfilled their promise to create a National Dementia Plan (NDP) by 2025, ADI is calling for an extension to the Global Action Plan on the public health response to dementia at the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva, ahead of the release of From Plan to Impact VI, which maps progress against the Global Action Plan.

The prevalence of dementia is rapidly increasing, with an estimated 55 million people currently affected, and up to 85% not receiving necessary treatment and support. The lack of progress in implementing NDPs is concerning, as it raises doubts about the accessibility of future dementia therapies and more.  Projections suggest that the number of people with dementia will reach 139 million by 2050, emphasising the urgent need for immediate action to address this global public health threat.