UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly adopted by acclamation a political declaration mobilizing accelerated effort to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The document included commitments to reducing by one third premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN.
While acknowledging the progress achieved by some countries in controlling four major NCDs -- cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases, the text recognized action to realize the commitments is inadequate.
The declaration requested the UN secretary-general, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and other relevant parties, to submit to the General Assembly a report on the progress achieved in its implementation by the end of 2024.
The text, entitled "Time to Deliver: Accelerating our response to address NCDs for the health and well-being of present and future generations," was adopted at the General Assembly's third High-Level Meeting on Prevention and Control of NCDs.
While hailing it as "ambitious and balanced," UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces called for attention to the fact that a huge number of people between the ages of 30 and 70 will die in 2018 because of NCDs.
The poorest will likely suffer most from illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which more broadly lead to annual GDP losses of up to 6 percent, she added.
Also speaking at the meeting were UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
