The UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) starts today in New York. One of its aims is the reduction of tobacco consumption.

The summit aims at bringing global attention to the "four most prominent non-communicable diseases", namely cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.
A plan of action is to be agreed upon which addresses the common risk factors, considered to be tobacco use, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and environmental carcinogens.
A draft declaration calls, among other things, for accelerating the implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and for price and tax measures as a way to reduce tobacco consumption. 
UN member states have already committed to agreeing to an "action orientated outcomes document", the strongest possible agreement,  which will include national and global targets that governments will commit to achieving.
The summit follows UN resolution 64/265 of May 2010. (pi)