United Nations ( CNN ) -- World leaders kicked off a historic two-day meeting at the United Nations on Monday by unanimously approving a `` political declaration '' meant to stem a rising tide of noncommunicable diseases , now the world 's leading killer . It is only the second time a health issue has been debated at a special meeting of the General Assembly after the group 's pledge to take on AIDS a decade ago . `` This is a landmark meeting , '' U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said . `` Three out of every five people on Earth die from the diseases that we gather here to address . '' Illnesses that range from diabetes to heart disease to cancer are increasingly reaching developing nations , Ban said , which are often ill-equipped to provide the kinds of medicines and levels of treatment to offset their effects . `` More than a quarter of all people who die from ( such diseases ) succumb in the prime of their lives , '' he added . `` The vast majority live in developing countries . '' The measure is expected to be adopted in full after a second day of discussion Tuesday . But it will then depend on cooperation from companies that produce food , alcohol and tobacco products to implement broad-sweeping policy shifts to achieve lasting changes that U.N. members say they are hoping for . World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan called the issue a `` slow-motion disaster , '' citing one study that put the cost of noncommunicable diseases to the global economy at $ 30 trillion by 2030 . The effect on individual households , analysts say , is often manifest in reduced physical capacities , long-term treatment and high health care costs . On the national scale , the effect is more clear . Associated costs for heart disease , stroke and diabetes in China alone amounted to $ 18 billion in 2005 , according to a U.N. statement . Russia expended $ 11 billion that year , while India spent $ 9 billion and Brazil spent $ 3 billion . A year later , 36 million people died from noncommunicable diseases worldwide , representing nearly two-thirds of all reported global deaths . Chan said the rise of these diseases is being driven by urbanization and `` unhealthy lifestyles , '' prompted by systemic use of alcohol , tobacco and readily available processed foods . `` For a growing number of people , ( those foods ) are the quickest ways to fill their stomachs , '' she said . Meanwhile , global obesity levels have doubled since 1980 , according to a recent report . `` Obesity is the signal that something is terribly wrong , '' said Chan , who urged a systemic approach among world governments to combat those diseases . Traditionally more widespread in developed nations , obesity -- which , according to reports , is often a product of poor health practices and available food choices -- has increasingly spread to developing nations . Death and illness from noncommunicable diseases are greater threats than transmissible diseases like malaria and HIV in every region except Africa , where they are on the rise , according to a U.N. report . Ban on Monday called for a more comprehensive intervention plan to help reduce the threat , asking for `` tobacco-control measures , including raising taxes and bans on advertising and smoking in public places ; raising taxes on alcohol and enforcing bans on alcohol advertising ; reducing salt intake , '' as well as replacing trans fats in foods with polyunsaturated fats . He called on member countries to promote public awareness about diet and physical activity , deliver hepatitis B vaccinations and encourage preventive care through counseling . `` It is our collective responsibility to make this meeting a success for all mankind , '' said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe , who attended Monday 's meeting .
U.N. members vow to reduce diabetes , heart disease , cancer . Comment: Such diseases are greater threats than transmissible diseases in nearly every region . 3 of every 5 people die from noncommunicable diseases , U.N. head says .