World Obesity advocates for obesity action at the WHO Executive Board
World Obesity Federation was in Geneva this month to advocate for stronger global action on obesity at the 158th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board (EB).
Members of our Policy and Advocacy team, including Rachel Thompson and Maggie Wetzel, alongside colleagues from our MAPPS team, including Jessica Winters, engaged directly with Member States, WHO officials, and civil society partners to elevate obesity in global health discussions.
Across the week, we delivered two formal statements to the Executive Board. We discussed country action and the importance of obesity surveillance, integrated policy responses, and stronger use of data to inform action, which the MAPPS programme will contribute to. These engagements reflect our continued presence on the international stage, advocating for obesity to be recognised, measured, and addressed as a disease and a key driver of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Advancing action on obesity and liver disease
A central focus of our engagement at the Executive Board was the growing intersection between obesity and steatotic liver disease, an area where global policy action has not kept pace with the evidence.
World Obesity, working with the ISGlobal Public Health Liver Group, delivered a joint statement under the NCD agenda item calling for accelerated action on obesity and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The statement highlighted that more than one billion people worldwide are living with obesity, and that a substantial proportion are estimated to develop MASLD - a preventable condition that can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
READ THE STATEMENT
Despite sharing common metabolic drivers with other NCDs, MASLD remains largely absent from global NCD frameworks, while obesity continues to be addressed inconsistently across policy responses. The statement urged WHO and Member States to better integrate obesity and liver disease within WHO frameworks, normative guidance, and global action plans as part of a coherent response to metabolic health.
This intervention reflects our commitment to addressing obesity not in isolation, but as a central determinant of wider health outcomes.
Strengthening Primary Health Care responses to obesity
We also delivered a formal statement under the Primary Health Care (PHC) agenda item, calling for obesity to be embedded more effectively within primary care systems.
The statement emphasised that obesity prevention, management, and treatment are increasingly essential components of resilient health systems and universal health coverage (UHC). It highlighted the need for routine monitoring, sustained investment across the life course, and equitable access to evidence-based obesity care - particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where prevalence is rising fastest and health system capacity is often most constrained.
READ THE STATEMENT
Marking World Cancer Day in Geneva
While in Geneva, we also joined partners to mark World Cancer Day, alongside World Cancer Research Fund International and the Union for International Cancer ControI. Together we highlighted the growing body of evidence confirming that obesity increases the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer, reinforcing the need for obesity to be recognised as a critical cancer prevention issue within global health policy.
This engagement further underscored the interconnected nature of obesity, NCDs, and cancer - and the importance of coordinated, system-wide responses.
Continuing to advocate on the global stage
Our engagement at the WHO Executive Board demonstrates World Obesity’s continued commitment to ensuring obesity is recognised, prioritised, and addressed across global health frameworks. Through evidence-based advocacy, strategic partnerships, and direct engagement with Member States, we will continue to press for integrated action on obesity - as a disease, a driver of NCDs, and a barrier to achieving universal health coverage.
As discussions continue towards the World Health Assembly and beyond, we remain focused on ensuring that obesity is no longer overlooked in international health policy - and that action matches the scale and urgency of the challenge.
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View allStatements Feb 04, 26
Statement to the 158th WHO Executive Board - NCDs
A joint statement delivered by World Obesity and ISGlobal PHLG at WHO EB 158, on NCDs.
View ResourceStatements Feb 04, 26
Statement to the 158th WHO Executive Board - Primary Health Care
Our statement delivered to the World Health Organization's 158th WHO EB, on Primary Health Care.
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