Statement to the 156th Executive Board (UHC)
Statement to the 77th World Health Assembly
- Agenda Item: Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases
The 2025 NCD targets including to halt the rise in obesity will not be met. Taking action on obesity is a critical yet overlooked step towards changing this trajectory and reducing the global burden of NCDs.
Obesity is a disease and a major driver of NCDs including cancers, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and contributes to poor mental health.
Addressing obesity requires a multisector, multistakeholder approach to transform built environments, food and health systems.
The 4th High-Level Meeting is a critical opportunity for member states to prioritise obesity in the NCD agenda; and to strengthen commitments made to implement the WHO recommendations on obesity which will also help accelerate progress on NCD targets.
World Obesity encourages countries to join the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and welcomes the forthcoming WHO Technical Package to support delivery of priority interventions.