The Importance of Advocacy in Advancing Stroke Care: The Global Stroke Action Coalition

Stroke represents one of the most significant global health challenges of the 21st century, with 11.9 million people experiencing stroke annually and a disproportionate burden falling on low- and middle-income countries, where 87% of stroke deaths and 89% of disability occur. Despite stroke being highly preventable—with 84% of the burden attributable to modifiable risk factors—and the availability of treatments that have proven to reduce the rate of death or disability, including stroke units, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy, these interventions remain inaccessible to most of the world's population.

Advocacy—systematic efforts to influence policy, practice, and resource allocation through evidence-based engagement with decision-makers—has achieved notable successes such as establishing stroke units globally. However, individual advocacy efforts face structural limitations in addressing global stroke challenges. The Global Stroke Action Coalition (GSAC) was formed in 2024 as a coordinated, multi-sectoral initiative convened by the World Stroke Organization, uniting scientific, civil societies, and industry partners to transcend these limitations. The Coalition leverages established infrastructure and expertise to create a unified advocacy force capable of commanding attention from global health leaders. Centred around five strategic priorities—integrating stroke into national NCD strategies, developing National Stroke Action Plans, securing funding commitments, implementing monitoring systems, and including survivors in policy development—the Coalition successfully utilized the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases to further elevate the position of stroke on the global agenda. Key achievements include securing ministerial commitments from ten countries and launching the ‘Every Minute Counts’ campaign.

The Coalition's coordinated approach demonstrates that systematic, evidence-based advocacy can transform stroke care delivery globally, providing a framework for sustained collaboration across sectors and regions essential for meeting Sustainable Development Goal targets and reducing the devastating burden of stroke worldwide.