According to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani, the Kingdom was chosen as one of the participating countries for the “First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Noncommunicable Disease Control” in the Russian capital that started on Thursday.

Al-Mirghalani said Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah attended the conference as a special invitee chosen from the WHO’s 153 member states.

"Participation in the conference was an honor for our country, whose health care services are appreciated by the world community," he added.

Besides Saudi Arabia, the other five countries chosen for the conference were China, US, Russia, India and South Africa.

The conference, inaugurated by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was a key milestone in the international campaign to curb the impact of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lung diseases. It was jointly organized by Russia and the WHO.

Its aim was to help member states develop and strengthen policies and programs on healthy lifestyles and noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention.

The organization’s efforts are based on a global strategy for the prevention and control of NCDs and its action plan, which include multi sector and innovative approaches to prevention and care.

The four main NCDs — cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes — kill three in five people worldwide and cause great socioeconomic harm to all countries, particularly developing nations. Al-Mirghalani said 60 percent of deaths are due to NCDs.

The two-day conference highlighted the magnitude and socioeconomic impact of NCDs and reviewed international experiences on their prevention and control.

It stressed the need to strengthen global and national initiatives to prevent such diseases as part of national health plans and sustainable development frameworks.

The conference was held in the lead up to a UN General Assembly on the prevention and control of NCDs on Sept. 19-20.