Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 13 1 2024 12 01 Governing Political Realities in NCD Agenda Setting in LMICs: A Case of the Carrot and the Stick?; Comment on “National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries: A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis” 1 4 4674 10.34172/ijhpm.8836 EN Peter A. Delobelle Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium 0000-0002-9016-7458 Journal Article 2024 09 30 <span class="fontstyle0">In their scoping review Bennett et al present a summary framework for public health surveillance of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) that impact human health, which is important in view of the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The authors focus on the tobacco, alcohol and food and beverage industry and discuss who should “own” the process; where in the public sector administration the responsibility should lie; and how and which practices or organizations to monitor. They also argue that the monitoring should transition from academia and civil society to (sub)-national governments because of their central role in the protection of public health. This commentary argues that the challenges related to NCD policy-making in LMICs should be viewed from within a political economy perspective and that support for UCI monitoring has to be bolstered by independent accountability mechanisms and rights-based advocacy at national and global level.</span>  https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4674_1f5795e7b93f423c397e6f7aaff80133.pdf