23 September 2025
Global Hearts Initiative
Working together, empowering communities, building capacity, and providing care for all to beat cardiovascular disease
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Credits
Overview
The WHO Global Hearts Initiative was launched in 2016 as a global initiative, bringing together stakeholders from around the world and across sectors with the shared goal of reducing, by one third, premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and strokes, by 2030, in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.4.
Vision and objectives
Vision: A world where every person, everywhere can live free from preventable cardiovascular disease through access to integrated, equitable, and high-quality cardiovascular health services.
Mission: To accelerate national and global action to prevent, detect, and control cardiovascular disease.
Strategic pillars of the Global Health Initiative
The WHO Global Health Initiative comprises five pillars that focus on the necessary actions and anticipated outcomes of addressing the prevention, control and care of CVDs.
- Position cardiovascular disease control as a health system performance indicator.
- Optimize delivery of cardiovascular disease services at the primary care level.
- Ensure equitable access to essential cardiovascular disease medicines, diagnostics, and technologies.
- Strengthen cardiovascular disease intelligence, monitoring, and digital health integration.
- Foster innovation and strategic partnerships to scale impact.
Events
22 September 2016
Infographics
Videos
Publications
The second Global report on hypertension highlights the urgent need to scale up detection, treatment, and control of hypertension, especially at the...
13 December 2024
Framework for the care of acute coronary syndrome and stroke
The Framework for the care of acute coronary syndrome and stroke aims to guide countries in strengthening the care of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and...
19 March 2024
Priorities for research on hypertension care delivery: web annex: results of post-webinar surveys
Hypertension (HTN) is a major global public health problem. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Hypertension, which...
11 February 2024
Priorities for research on hypertension care delivery
Hypertension (HTN) is a major global public health problem. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. Hypertension, which...
19 September 2023
Global report on hypertension: the race against a silent killer
This report compiles data for the first time on the far-reaching consequences of uncontrolled hypertension, including heart attacks, strokes and premature...
7 September 2020
WHO package of essential noncommunicable (PEN) disease interventions for primary health care
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological,...
13 July 2020
HEARTS: Technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care: Risk-based CVD...
The HEARTS technical package provides a strategic approach to improving cardiovascular health in countries. It comprises six modules and an implementation...
15 October 2018
ACTIVE: a technical package for increasing physical activity
The Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 provides a shared vision of More active people for a healthier world and sets out goals to achieve...
21 March 2017
SHAKE the salt habit
The SHAKE package contains a general framework for the overarching elements needed to create a successful salt reduction strategy: political commitment,...
14 November 2013
Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020
The WHO Global NCD action plan 2013–2020 follows on from commitments made by Heads of State and Government in the United Nations Political Declaration...
Documents
This flyer highlights the integration of hypertension management into HIV care, focusing on improving health outcomes through streamlined services, resource...
Other technical resources
Noncommunicable diseases kit to support hypertension care in emergencies
The WHO Global Hearts Initiative brochure
Updating Appendix 3 of the WHO Global NCD action plan 2013–2030
Global Hearts Initiative: Implementation in the Region of the Americas
Global Hearts Initiative: Implementation in the Region of the South East Asia
Related health topics
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Contact information
For more information, please write to: ghi@who.int