Along with the Sri Lankan President, President Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay, President Sauli Niinistö of Finland, Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Veronika Skvortsova, and former Federal Minister of Pakistan Sania Nishtar will co-chiar the WHO Independent Global High-level Commission on NCDs.

The group will propose bold and innovative solutions to accelerate prevention and control of the leading killers on the planet - noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart and lung disease, cancers, and diabetes.

Seven in 10 deaths globally every year are from NCDs, the main contributors to which are tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets, and physical inactivity, according to the WHO.