In May 2010 the UN General Assembly (GA) passed Resolution 64/265 which called for the convening of a high-level meeting of the GA in September 2011 in New York on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases(NCDs)[1]. This resolution and related documents have stressed the need to recognise the primary role and responsibility of governments to respond to the challenges of NCDs, but also the responsibility of the international community in assisting member states, particularly in low and mid-income countries, to generate effective responses [2]. It comes with the hope of garnering multi-sectoral commitment and facilitating action on an unprecedented scale to address NCDs. Among the various NCDs, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes have been singled out for attention[2].
