Connection, collaboration and the road to Beijing: reflecting on ICO 2026 in Mexico City
As we reflect on ICO 2026, one thing is clear: this was a congress defined as much by its people as by its science.
Over three days at the World Trade Center Mexico City, the global obesity community came together to share evidence, challenge one another's thinking, and build the relationships that will carry this work forward into the next two years - and beyond, to Beijing in 2028
ICO 2026 brought together over 2,600 delegates from 72 countries, marking the 52nd year of the Congress and its first time ever hosted in Mexico City - held in partnership with our members at the Sociedad Mexicana de Obesidad (SMO). Across the Clinical, Basic Science and Public Health tracks, the scientific programme ran alongside a packed agenda of advocacy, membership and educational events that showed just how far the reach of this community now extends.
A congress built on connection
From the very first day, ICO 2026 had a distinct energy. Our two World Obesity Federation booths became a natural hub for conversation throughout the Congress. Members from organisations including Fundación Los Fresnos “Casa de la Diabetes” (Ecuador), the China Obesity Federation, the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (South Africa), Obesity Canada and Asociación Lucha Contra la Obesidad (Costa Rica) stopped by to share their work, hear about our projects, and simply connect face-to-face in a way that digital communication can't quite replicate.
That spirit of connection ran through the Congress's governance moments too. Our first-ever hybrid Annual General Meeting brought Members together online and in person to hear updates on the past year's work and take part in live voting - including the election of Dr Bruno Halpern as World Obesity Federation President and the approval of Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga as President-Elect. We also marked the end of an era, with our sincere thanks to outgoing President Dr Simón Barquera and former President Professor Louise Baur for their dedication to World Obesity over the past decades.
And of course, no congress is complete without the moments in between the sessions - the conversations over coffee, the shared meals, the connections made in hallways as much as presentation halls. It's this combination of rigorous science and genuine human connection that continues to make ICO like nowhere else.
SCOPE School Mexico: our biggest ever
Ahead of the main Congress, SCOPE School Mexico took place on 14 July, led by our members at SMO - and it was the largest SCOPE School we've ever held, with over 500 attendees, surpassing our previous record set in Kuwait in 2019.
The day brought together healthcare professionals from across clinical practice - medical practitioners and specialists, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, psychologists, bariatric surgeons, researchers and public health professionals - for a full day of training accredited under our SCOPE educational programme.
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Nearly 70 advocates, 11 countries, one shared goal
The day before the Congress opened, we brought together nearly 70 advocates living with obesity from 11 countries spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East for the first Obesity Lived Experience Global Summit.
Advocates spent the day building the skills and confidence to turn their own knowledge and experience into credible evidence for policy change - hearing from World Obesity CEO Johanna Ralston, Trustee Karen Sealey and incoming President Dr Bruno Halpern, and taking part in panel discussions and breakout sessions that turned the expertise built from personal experience into concrete policy asks.
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MAPPS II takes centre stage
Our flagship health systems initiative, MAPPS II (Management and Advocacy for Providers, Patients and Systems), featured throughout ICO 2026 - from an early-morning meeting with lived experience advocates on what meaningful research involvement really looks like, to a dedicated Latin America session unveiling exclusive preliminary regional findings to a room of policymakers, clinicians and advocates.
Together, the two sessions showed MAPPS II in action: research shaped by the people it's about, from the very start.
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Celebrating global leadership: the ICO 2026 Awards
The closing ceremony recognised the researchers, clinicians and advocates shaping the field of obesity worldwide:
- Philip James Award - Dr Simón Barquera, outgoing World Obesity President and Director of the Centre for Nutrition and Health Research at Mexico's National Institute of Public Health, for his role in shaping Mexico's food policy landscape.
- Willendorf Award - Professor Antje Körner, University of Leipzig, for her research into the biological origins of childhood obesity.
- Wertheimer Award - Professor María del Mar Malagón, University of Córdoba, for her work mapping the complexity of adipose tissue and its crosstalk with other organs.
- Emerging Leaders in Health Award - Mr Ogweno Stephen, founder of the Stowelink Foundation, for a decade of youth-led obesity advocacy across Africa.
Congratulations also to our Best Oral Abstract and Best e-Poster winners across the Clinical, Basic Science and Public Health tracks.
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Connecting with our members
Beyond the science, ICO 2026 was a moment for our wider membership community. Our membership team met face-to-face with Members from across the world, sharing updates on SCOPE, MAPPS II and World Obesity Day - and hearing first-hand about the work and priorities shaping obesity advocacy in different regions.
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Looking ahead: ICO 2028 comes to Beijing
As the closing ceremony drew to an end, we were delighted to announce that ICO 2028 will be held in Beijing, China, in partnership with the China Obesity Federation - the first time the Congress has been hosted there. It continues a tradition, since the Congress was first established in 1974, of bringing the world's obesity community together in a different region each cycle: São Paulo in 2024, Mexico City in 2026, and now Beijing in 2028.
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Thank you
None of this would have been possible without our hosts at the Sociedad Mexicana de Obesidad, the local organising committee, the scientific programme committee, and every delegate, speaker, advocate and volunteer who made ICO 2026 the congress it was. Thank you also to Dr Simón Barquera for his leadership over the past two years, and to Professor Louise Baur before him.
We look forward to carrying this momentum forward - through MAPPS II, SCOPE, World Obesity Day, and everything in between - as we begin the journey to Beijing for ICO 2028.
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Stay up to date on ICO 2028 and all World Obesity Federation news at worldobesity.org.