UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Thursday held a high-level meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of mental health and well-being.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his speech read by his deputy, Amina Mohammed, called for global action in this regard.

Every two seconds, someone under the age of 70 dies from a noncommunicable disease. In this past year alone, over 43 million lives of all ages were lost to NCDs, the largest cause of global deaths. Mental health conditions affect over 1 billion people worldwide, and suicide remains among the leading causes of death for young people. Some 2.8 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, he noted.

"These figures are not only statistics. They represent lives shortened, livelihoods taken away, and communities that are held back. They remind us that NCDs and mental health conditions are among the greatest public health and development challenges of our time," he said.

Guterres asked nations to strengthen primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage; to address the social, economic, environmental determinants -- and the market forces -- that shape how people live; to elevate mental health and psychosocial care in humanitarian settings; to ensure sustainable financing; to place people living with NCDs and mental health conditions at the center of these efforts; and to keep promises made.

"Let us pledge to commit to prevention, to equity, and accelerated action. Together, we can transform lives, safeguard livelihoods, and deliver on our promise of health and well-being for all," said Guterres.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said NCDs and mental health conditions are preventable and treatable.

"We have the knowledge. We have the tools. What is needed is commitment, speed, and scale," he said.

Tedros called for efforts to tear down the walls of stigma that keep so many people trapped with mental health conditions.

"I urge all of us, especially those of us with the privilege of having a platform and a voice, to use those platforms and raise those voices to say that it's okay not to be okay. Mental health conditions are like any other condition -- as common as a stomachache, and that's how we should see it, because there is no health without mental health."

He called on all countries to increase investment in promoting health and preventing disease.

"We must remember that health does not start in clinics and hospitals. It starts in homes, schools, streets and workplaces -- in the food people eat, the products they consume, the water they drink, the air they breathe, and the conditions in which they live and work. So the number one (task) should be addressing the root causes and helping people to lead a healthy life."

He asked all countries to integrate services for NCDs and mental health into primary health care, as the foundation of universal health coverage.

He also asked all countries to deliver equity through access and accountability.

"That means making essential medicines and technologies available and affordable to all, with financing that reduces out-of-pocket costs. It means tracking the targets transparently -- through robust surveillance and regular reporting, so progress is visible, gaps are identified, and leaders are accountable. And it means ensuring these transformations are guided by people with lived experience, civil society, and communities."

UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, who chaired the meeting, highlighted inequality in the field of NCDs and mental health care.

"The challenge, of course, is that in our increasingly unequal world, the burden of NCDs is being shouldered by those most vulnerable. Nearly three-quarters of all NCD deaths are in low- and middle-income countries, where prevention and treatment options are hard to come by," she said.

The same holds true for mental health. While mental health conditions affect nearly 1 billion people worldwide, it remains chronically underfunded. Globally, mental health expenditure averages only 2 U.S. dollars per year per capita. This falls to less than 25 U.S. cents in low-income countries. Many allocate less than 1 percent of their health budgets to mental health, she noted.

"The challenge is thus cyclical. Those furthest behind are the least likely to benefit from health education, prevention, or treatment. And countries facing chronically high mortality rates from NCDs suffer from labor shortages and lost economic growth," said Baerbock. "NCDs can therefore be said to be both cause and consequence of poverty."

In the two decades from 2011 to 2030, it is estimated that NCDs will cost the global economy a staggering 30 trillion dollars. Factoring in mental health-associated costs and lost productivity adds another 16 trillion dollars, she said.

"It's about economics in this situation. It's in the interests of everyone, especially strong economic powers," she said. "We tackle such 'borderless' challenges, not only out of altruism, but for our own mutual benefit, and even for our own self-interest. Helping others is what ultimately makes our own countries stronger. We work together, or we suffer alone. So, let's be better together."

Baerbock said the political declaration draft, prepared by the 79th session of the General Assembly for adoption, won broad support. Yet it was opposed by some member states at Thursday's meeting. The document, therefore, will be discussed by the 80th session of the assembly. ■