New York (dpa) - The UN General Assembly began on Monday its first
conference on non-communicable diseases, calling for governments to
adopt measures to curb the deaths of 36 million people a year, 80 per
cent of them in developing countries.
The assembly president, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser of Qatar, said
the United Nations has the opportunity to work out a plan of action
to fight the diseases, including cancers, diabetes and respiratory
ailments.
The two-day meeting is to be attended by heads of state and
government, who will hold side debates on various health measures to
combat non-communicable diseases.
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