Putting obesity at the centre of the global health agenda at UNGA 80

The World Obesity team has returned from New York after an eventful United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80), which included the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Throughout the week, we made our presence felt - calling on governments to honour their commitments, strengthen action on obesity prevention and care, and recognise that without progress on obesity, there can be no real progress on NCDs. Crucially, the voices of people living with obesity were placed at the centre of these discussions.

This year’s Global Obesity Forum was a standout moment, attracting record interest with every seat filled and a waiting list of participants eager to join. Alongside this success, we celebrated World Obesity members receiving recognition at the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on NCDs awards, and we contributed to high-level roundtables and panels - ensuring obesity was firmly on the agenda wherever it mattered most.

Raising our voices at the United Nations

World Obesity CEO Johanna Ralston and lived experience Board member, Karen Sealey attended the High-Level Meeting to make our concerns heard. The Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on NCDs falls short to deliver for us all. It will fail to deliver on the NCD targets it set out to achieve but, most importantly, it will fail the 1 billion currently affected by obesity, as well as younger generations, where we are seeing the most alarming trends, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The Declaration excludes our recommendations for the inclusion of obesity in primary care, references to obesity are limited to a handful of mentions in prevention, and the root causes and scale of the obesity epidemic are not reflected.

The Political Declaration fails to win approval — and inaction is inexcusable.

The Political Declaration on NCDs has failed to win approval - and inaction is inexcusable. Failure to act is not neutral; it is a choice that will cost lives. Each year of delay locks in higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other NCDs driven by obesity. The economic toll is equally stark: without decisive action, obesity alone will cost nearly 3% of global GDP by 2030.

This failure will fall hardest on children and young people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, condemning them to poorer health and shrinking opportunities. We support those Member States and partners who worked together to develop the Declaration, and those already taking decisive action through evidence-based policies. Their leadership shows that progress is possible - and must accelerate.

Governments cannot claim progress on NCDs or UHC while inertia on obesity persists. Delay is denial - and the cost of doing nothing will be measured in lives lost and futures diminished.

World Obesity President, Simón Barquera, and Board Member and lived experience advocate, Amber Huett-Garcia, joined the Economist Impact side event 'Accelerating Action Toward SDG 3.4: Putting Obesity on the NCD Agenda.' Their interventions underscored obesity as both a challenge and opportunity in the global NCD response.

President Barquera also spoke at the Devex Impact event on Global Metabolic Health, highlighting the importance of preventive public health measures:

“One of the main tools we have to stop this epidemic are public health measures to prevent consumption of unhealthy food and drinks like the soda tax.  I regret that sugar taxes were removed from the Political Declaration because we all know that the evidence is there, and we know that they were removed because of interference from industry. The World Obesity Federation is working hard to advocate for treatment access in primary healthcare but also on how to effectively prevent the drivers of obesity and other metabolic diseases.”

Driving multisectoral action

World Obesity participated in the Fourth Multistakeholder Gathering on NCDs and mental health, organised by the NCD Alliance and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Brazil, the World Diabetes Foundation, and the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs. The event united ministers, civil society, academics, and private sector representatives to share practical solutions and emphasise multisectoral efforts, spotlighting the importance of sustained political leadership, lived-experience perspectives, strategic use of data, and inclusive narratives to turn global commitments into action.

The first panel, moderated by Johanna Ralston, CEO of the World Obesity Federation, looked at how to institutionalise multisectoral governance, and was informed by a new WHO publication that World Obesity co-authored: Advancing multisectoral and multistakeholder actions on noncommunicable diseases: thematic issue briefs | Knowledge Action Portal on NCDs.

This rights-based, collaborative approach is helping to transform access to care in Belgium and shape policies that respond to obesity as a chronic disease. By working with the government, clinicians, and communities, BASO is advancing Belgium’s role as a forerunner in addressing obesity and ensuring that people living with obesity receive the care and dignity they deserve.

World Obesity government partners, the Republic of Seychelles, Mexico and South Africa were also recognised for their outstanding commitment and action to prevent and control obesity.

There were also inspiring words from the perspective of lived experience, with Obesity Matters (Canada) recognised for their groundbreaking OM Wellness Workshop - a free, 12-month virtual programme co-created with clinicians and people living with obesity. Rooted in lived experience, the workshop reduces stigma, builds resilience, and supports sustainable lifestyle changes. Together with their digital platforms, it has reached more than 10 million people worldwide, with independent surveys showing striking outcomes: a 36% drop in self-blame, a 29% reduction in guilt and shame, and a 35% increase in confidence.

For the Obesity Matters community, this recognition is more than an award - it is momentum. It affirms that compassion and community, grounded in lived experience, can complement clinical care and inspire global change in how obesity is seen, understood, and treated.

UNGA 80 marked both a moment of disappointment and of resolve.

If governments cannot agree, civil society, lived experience advocates, and forward-thinking countries will keep building solutions. As we look to 2027’s High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and beyond, the message is clear: health for all is impossible without action on obesity.

The time to act is now.