After 22 years as Executive Director of The Union, Dr Nils E Billo announced his decision to retire at a retreat of the organisation's Board of Directors on 7 June. The Board has appointed José Luis Castro, Deputy Executive Director, to serve as Interim Executive Director while a search is undertaken for a permanent Executive Director.

On 27 May, at the 66th World Health Assembly (WHA), UN Member States unanimously adopted an omnibus resolution on NCDs that fulfills commitments made in 2011's UN Political Declaration on NCDs and signals consensus on the three pillars of the global NCD architecture – action, accountability and coordination.

The UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel of Eminent Persons (HLP) released their final report on the post-2015 development agenda on 30 May. The report sets out a preliminary universal agenda to build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and deliver on the promise of sustainable development.

The Union has launched a pilot project in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Dimagi, aimed at strengthening the process of TB patient referral and tracking through mobile technology in the tribal district of Khunti in Jharkhand, India.

On 29 April the Bangladesh parliament passed the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Bill (Amendment) 2013, which bans smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants, and significantly amends an earlier law.