2025 in review: Events
This year we once again hosted interactive and powerful events that have advanced knowledge in obesity management and provided a global platform to share meaningful engagement and action on obesity.
These included an impactful and engaging World Obesity Day, record attendance at our Global Obesity Forum, participation in many key obesity and other NCD gatherings throughout the year, impactful SCOPE Schools and multi-sectoral round tables as part of our MAPPS II project.
World Obesity Day
World Obesity Day on 4 March 2025 focused on the theme 'Changing Systems, Healthier Lives'.
The 2025 campaign had the bold aim of shifting the focus away from individuals and toward the systems driving the global rise in obesity.
By spotlighting areas such as food systems, government policy, and environmental influences, the campaign empowered countries to address the local and regional systems that shape public health. It also amplified awareness of the complex, cross-cutting factors that contribute to obesity.
World Obesity Day 2025:
World Obesity Day on 4 March 2025 focused on the theme 'Changing Systems, Healthier Lives'.
The 2025 campaign had the bold aim of shifting the focus away from individuals and toward the systems driving the global rise in obesity.
By spotlighting areas such as food systems, government policy, and environmental influences, the campaign empowered countries to address the local and regional systems that shape public health. It also amplified awareness of the complex, cross-cutting factors that contribute to obesity.
- Powerful engagement with participation from 187 countries
- Dozens of member-led events around the world, including six Seed Grant–supported initiatives
- Our SCOPE team held a dedicated WOD SCOPE Session on obesity and children's health.
- The Global Obesity Coalition (WHO, UNICEF, and World Obesity Federation) convened voices at our WOD 2025 webinar.
Global Obesity Forum 2025
GOF 2025 was co-hosted by the World Obesity Federation, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF as part of the Global Obesity Coalition, and took place in New York ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health.
Leaders, policymakers, and advocates came together with a shared purpose: to confront one of the most pressing health and development challenges of our time.
GOF 2025 highlighted both the urgency and the opportunity: while obesity contributes to millions of preventable deaths annually and nearly 3% of global GDP in costs, action now can deliver a 'double dividend' - improving health outcomes while strengthening economies.
As governments move forward from the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, the Forum made the message clear: no country can act alone, and no credible NCD agenda can succeed without addressing obesity.
More about GOF 2025
Other key events 2025:
Other significant events that we attended, hosted, or participated in include:
- The NCDA Forum in Rwanda, where we hosted sessions and spoke at events to strategise and coordinate ahead of the UN HLM.
- At ECO 2025, our team showcased our work on global data, policy, and health system readiness
- WHA 78 – Our Right(s) Approach event brought together over 70 global partners to explore the systemic shifts needed across sectors
SCOPE Schools
In 2025, we hosted SCOPE Schools in Mumbai, India and Beijing, China, as well as two member-led Schools in Chile and Brazil, with another one coming up on 19 December in New Delhi, India.
SCOPE School Mumbai focused on 'Patient-Centred Care in Obesity Management: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach' and was held alongside the 9th IFSO APC | 22nd OSSICON Meeting. The School aimed to bridge the educational gap in multi-disciplinary obesity management. It provided healthcare professionals with culturally relevant training to effectively support individuals living with obesity.
SCOPE School Beijing was held as part of the China Obesity Congress (2025), in collaboration with the Chinese Obesity Federation and the World Obesity Federation. Bringing together over 140 participants, the programme featured lively panel discussions, interactive case studies, and engaging exchanges between experts and attendees.
Other significant events include the first of our MAPPS II round tables, held in South Africa and Spain on 19 and 21 November respectively. These events convened key stakeholders from multiple sectors to discuss barriers to effective prevention and care, and identify priority actions to strengthen multisectoral response to obesity in each country.
Additionally, World Obesity and UNICEF co-hosted a thought-provoking webinar that debated effective approaches to childhood obesity, featuring real-world examples of successful strategies, titled Growing well: Evidence and action on childhood obesity. Speakers included Member States, researchers, PLWO advocates and civil society representatives.
You can watch this webinar here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=npaRJPDWSMl-3ifn&v=WJT-OvWi_vw&feature=youtu.be
