Connecting with our Members at ICO 2026
For our membership team, one of the highlights of attending the International Congress on Obesity (ICO) 2026 was the opportunity to connect with so many of our Members in person.
ICO is one of the largest global gatherings focused on obesity research, prevention, treatment and policy. The 2026 Congress took place in Mexico City and was hosted in partnership with our Member, the Sociedad Mexicana de Obesidad (SMO).
Over three days, ICO 2026 provided a valuable opportunity for knowledge exchange, collaboration and discussion across the global obesity community. It was also encouraging to see our members and people with lived experience of obesity centred in key sessions and conversations throughout the Congress.
For us, the Congress was particularly special as it gave us the opportunity to meet so many of our Members face-to-face. Together with Karen, I had the pleasure of meeting Members from organisations including the Fundación Los Fresnos "Casa de la Diabetes" (Ecuador), the China Obesity Federation (China), the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (South Africa), Obesity Canada (Canada) and Asociación Lucha Contra la Obesidad (Costa Rica), among many others.
Our two World Obesity Federation booths became a hub for conversations throughout the Congress. We spoke with members about their work, upcoming events and opportunities to engage with us, while sharing updates on our projects including SCOPE, MAPPS II and World Obesity Day. These conversations provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about the work taking place across our membership community and the priorities of our Members in different regions. While digital communication is an important part of how we engage with our Members, there is something particularly valuable about being able to meet in person.
Connecting Members around the world
Beyond these individual conversations, ICO 2026 was also an important moment for our membership community as a whole. Another key milestone was holding our first hybrid Annual General Meeting. It was wonderful to see Members join us online from around the world, alongside those attending in person, to hear updates on our work over the past year and participate in live voting
World Obesity welcomes new president
Members were also among the first to hear of the election of Dr Bruno Halpern as World Obesity President and vote on the approval of Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga as President-Elect.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to outgoing President Dr Simón Barquera and former President Professor Louise Baur for their wonderful work and dedication to WOF over the past few years.
Read more about this news here
Staying connected
The conversations we had at ICO also highlighted the breadth of activity taking place across our membership community. We encourage Members to continue sharing their news and events with us through our Member News & Event Submissions Form, so we can consider opportunities to feature them in the Members Newsletter. Members are also welcome to share details of important national and regional congresses and events related to obesity. This helps us keep track of key activities across the global obesity community and consider where there may be opportunities for us to engage, depending on our capacity and priorities.
As ICO 2026 came to a close, we were delighted to announce that the next International Congress on Obesity will be held in China in 2028, hosted in collaboration with our members at the China Obesity Federation.
We look forward to working alongside our members in China as preparations begin for what promises to be another fantastic Congress.
This blog has been written by World Obesity's Membership team - Yele Fafowora & Karen Bennett
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