World Obesity at the 79th World Health Assembly
From 18-25 May, the World Obesity Federation delegation joined our Members and partners to advocate for action on obesity at the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA).
President Simón Barquera, CEO Johanna Ralston, and staff members Magdalena Wetzel and Rachel Thompson were joined by World Obesity Lived Experience Board member, Amber Huett–Garcia, Angie Carriedo, co-chair of the Policy & Prevention Committee and Volkan Yumuk, EASO President. The team spent the week together co-hosting, attending and speaking at side events, delivering statements on key agenda items, and meeting with governments and partners.
In the midst of ongoing global health funding challenges, conflict in the Middle East, an ebola outbreak recently declared, and with a controversial reform process about to begin, this year’s WHA came at a challenging time. The need for stronger global cooperation, new partnerships, and more resilient health systems designed with and by lived experience at the centre has never felt more urgent.
As we look ahead to the 2027 High-Level Meeting on UHC, this was a critical moment to help shape how obesity is understood and positioned within health systems - not as a standalone issue, but as part of how countries deliver care, prevention, and equity.
Obesity, UHC and health systems
At least one billion people globally are living with obesity, yet millions continue to face stigma and limited access to evidence-based prevention, care and treatment. There is an urgent need to move from recognition to action by embedding obesity in prevention strategies and chronic disease frameworks.
Co-hosted by the Republic of Kenya, the Government of Thailand and the World Obesity Federation, our breakfast dialogue brought together over 40 participants from governments, WHO, UNICEF, global organizations and civil society to explore how obesity can be more effectively integrated into health system priorities.
READ OUR STATEMENT
_1.png)
_1.png)
_1.png)
_1.png)
In her opening remarks, Dr Amporn Benjaponpitak, Director-General at the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health described how Thailand is one of the front-runner countries in implementing the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and is proactively engaging in systemic reforms to tackle rising obesity rates.
Dr Nazila Ganatra, Head of the Division of Health Products and Technologies, Ministry of Health, spoke about how Kenya is strengthening PHC as the foundation of the health system, investing in integrated NCD training for health workers, and training door-to-door community health promoters to screen for obesity. Kenya is also implementing multisectoral action to address childhood obesity.
Key priorities raised during interactive group discussions included:
Strengthening health workforce training, especially for PHC workers
The importance of primary prevention, especially in the first 1000 days
Integration of services across other NCD pathways
Integration of different disciplines, including physical activity, in care pathways
Recognition that obesity is a disease and reducing stigma in health systems and beyond
Closing remarks from Amber Huett-Garcia emphasised the importance of community, and involving people with lived experience.
The discussions on obesity and UHC echoed words from several Latin American governments at the side event ‘Exploring integrated and equitable approaches to obesity prevention and management within health systems’, which World Obesity co-sponsored with the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Chile, and Mexico.
Obesity & liver disease
Obesity, diabetes, liver disease and cardiovascular disease share common metabolic drivers and need to be addressed through integrated approaches across prevention and chronic disease management, particularly in primary care. We have been collaborating with partners to strengthen alignment across obesity, diabetes, liver disease and broader cardiometabolic health discussions.
At side-events and in our statement on the Resolution on steatotic liver disease (SLD), we highlighted how obesity, SLD, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease share key underlying metabolic drivers, and the need to move towards more coordinated and integrated responses to metabolic disease across NCD and UHC frameworks at a time when health systems are increasingly confronting interconnected chronic diseases together.
Speaking at the ‘Together for Steatotic Liver Disease - The Hidden NCDs: SLD as the next Global Public Health Priority’ side event hosted by the Global Liver Institute and The Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt, Volkan Yumuk highlighted how 60% of adults with obesity and 40% of the pediatric population with obesity have SLD, thus management of obesity is also crucial for management of SLD.
READ OUR STATEMENT
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Preventing childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes
As demonstrated in World Obesity’s 2026 Atlas, obesity among school-age children and adolescents now exceeds underweight, and the steepest increases are occurring in low- and middle-income countries. At least 120 million school-age children 5-19 years are expected to have early signs of chronic disease caused by high BMI by 2040. Excess weight in childhood substantially raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other NCDs later in life.
Co-hosted with the International Diabetes Federation and the World Diabetes Federation, this side event provided a platform to advance policy dialogue on childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes prevention. The event saw 2660 people registered on Zoom, nearly 900 online participants, and 80 attendees in the room.
Speakers included Dr Simón Barquera who spoke about the success of the soda tax in Mexico, and the recent ban of junk foods in schools, as well as the global challenges of digital marketing to children.
WATCH THE RECORDING
Dr Reynold ‘Ofanoa, Chief Executive Officer for Health, Tonga spoke about the coordinated multisectoral action being taken across the Pacific - which has the highest rates in the world - to address obesity. Establishing health-promoting schools, offering free nutritious meals, is a key strategy to prevent childhood obesity and diabetes, and to help children achieve their full potential.
Amber Huett-Garcia raised the importance of involving lived experience, including youth voices in the conversation to find out what works (for example, banning smart phones), and what the key challenges are (for example, the inability to afford uniforms can be a barrier to participation in sport). She emphasised the need to understand how stigma shows up for young people, and to ensure programmes do not add to it.
Watch the recording here:
Other events
- Walk the Talk - Simón Barquera joined 100s of health advocates in the annual ‘Walk the Talk’ physical activity event around Geneva.
- Addressing obesity to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease - World Obesity team joined allies from the World Heart Federation in this event which emphasized how obesity must move to the center of cardiovascular policies, guidelines, training and advocacy.
- Ambition meets reality- Can governments deliver on obesity policy? - Simón Barquera spoke at this multistakeholder event hosted by the Economist Impact.
- Accelerating the Global Response to Obesity - Simón Barquera and Amber Huett-Garcia spoke at this side-event focused on the WHO Acceleration Plan.
Related Resources
View allStatements May 20, 26
Statement to the 79th World Health Assembly - Obesity and Liver
Provisional agenda item 12.1 NCDs – Obesity & Liver
View ResourceStatements May 20, 26
Statement to the 79th World Health Assembly - Obesity and UHC
Provisional agenda item 12.4 – Universal Health Coverage
View Resource