Kidney disease is one of the leading causes of death globally, but public awareness is low. With your help, we can make kidney disease a policy priority. Let’s urge global leaders to make kidney health a priority now!
Our goal is to secure 1 million signatures by December 31, 2024, and we need your support to get there!
2419 Signatures
Sign the petition
We are winning a race we don’t want to be in.
Kidney disease is the third fastest-growing cause of death worldwide and the only noncommunicable disease (NCD) with a rising mortality rate. It is now the 7th leading cause of death globally — in just a few years, it will become the 5th.
That means millions more lives are at risk — unless we do something about it. Together, we can fight this global problem and save lives.
- Each year, between 5 and 11 million people die from kidney disease, which affects an estimated 850 million people worldwide
- The majority of those impacted live in lower-income countries, meaning this disease disproportionately affects poor, vulnerable and marginalized populations
- The situation is growing: Demographic trends, such as aging populations, are leading to increased lives lost each year.
- The disease imposes significant costs on individuals, society and healthcare systems
- Families already struggling financially are often pushed further into poverty due to the high cost of treating and managing the disease
- Weak and underfunded health systems are ill-equipped to address kidney diseases, resulting in higher mortality rates in the countries that need effective intervention the most
- 1 in 5 people with hypertension have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and CKD contributes to 10% of deaths attributed to hypertension
- Kidney disease affects 40% of people with diabetes and significantly contributes to diabetes-related morbidity and mortality
- Kidney disease and cardiovascular health are closely linked, with cardiovascular diseases both causing and resulting from CKD, leading to about 2.1 million cardiovascular deaths annually
Despite the high prevalence, public awareness of kidney disease is low. It is overlooked, undertreated, and under-resourced in public health policies, making it a dangerous, often silent killer.
In 2015, the United Nations set a target to reduce premature mortality rates from NCDs by a third by 2030. That’s an admirable goal, but achieving it requires bold and imminent action from policymakers. We must ensure the WHO prioritizes kidney health with the same urgency as other major killers.
The WHO has recognized cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease and diabetes as leading causes of premature mortality. Yet kidney disease, despite its significant impact, is absent from this list. This is not just a gap in policy, it’s a major oversight.
This is where your voice matters.
By signing our petition, you can help shift the focus and demand that policymakers give kidney disease the urgent attention it needs. With your support, we can urge UN Member States to call on the WHO to recognize kidney disease as a top priority, potentially saving millions of lives.
If we fail to do anything, kidney disease will continue to rise.
If we act now, we can help reduce NCD deaths by a third in the next five years.
Together, we can make kidney disease a priority and save lives. Join us in this critical fight.
Thank you for your support.