Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the top three causes of death worldwide, but governments and non-governmental organisations have not given its prevention and treatment the priority it requires. This is particularly true in low- and middle-income countries, where most of the people suffering from this disease live. The United Nations (UN) has targeted a reduction of premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by a third by 2030; however, a coordinated UN/World Health Organization (WHO) strategy to address the burden of COPD (one of the most important NCDs) is still lacking. To explore the extent of the problem and inform the development of policies to improve the situation, the Board of Directors of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) held a 1-day Summit. The key themes that emerged were the need to ensure accurate data on prevalence, raise awareness of the disease among the public, healthcare professionals and governments, including the fact that COPD aetiology goes beyond smoking (and other inhaled pollutants) and includes poor lung development in early life, and ensure that spirometry and both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies are available and affordable. Here, we present the actions that must be taken to address the impact of COPD. We believe that the WHO is particularly well-positioned to co-ordinate an attack on COPD, and GOLD will do all it can to help and rally support.