 The UN's third high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases, NCDs, was held in 2018 and resulted in the adoption of a political declaration. This declaration outlined a number of policy positions, some of which were supported by certain stakeholders while others were opposed. In particular, the private sector and high-income countries were often opposed to stricter regulations on unhealthy products and other measures that would limit their profits. Low- and middle-income countries, on the other hand, favored more stringent regulations and stronger oversight of commercial interests. As a result, many cost-effective policies to address NCDs, such as taxation of harmful products, were not included in the final declaration. To ensure robust political commitments in action on NCDs, future negotiations should take into account the imbalances in power and influence among different stakeholders, as well as any biases or conflicts in positioning.