Global Obesity Forum 2026
Oct 26, 202626 October 2026 | Fundación Telefónica, Madrid, Spain
The Global Obesity Forum in 2026 comes at a pivotal moment for global obesity action.
As governments take stock of progress at the Global Obesity Summit, the Forum will bring the wider obesity community together to ask what comes next - and what each part of the ecosystem can contribute to accelerating progress towards 2030.
Held alongside the Summit, World Obesity Federation's flagship annual convening will focus on shared accountability for progress across the obesity ecosystem. While governments retain responsibility for public policy, successful implementation depends on the contributions of health system actors, international organisations, scientific and professional communities, civil society, people living with obesity, youth and other stakeholders. The Forum will bring these perspectives together to consider the roles each can play in accelerating progress under the WHO Acceleration Plan.
About the Forum
Obesity remains one of the most significant public health challenges facing countries today, with progress now dependent on translating commitments into sustained action. The WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity provides a framework for this, and in October 2026 the Government of Spain, WHO and UNICEF will convene the Global Obesity Summit, a Global Stocktaking to assess country progress and consider how action can be accelerated towards 2030.
This is a vital opportunity for the wider obesity community, including civil society, scientific and professional communities, people living with obesity, youth and other stakeholders, to bring their perspectives on implementation, barriers and what's needed to sustain progress.
What the Global Obesity Forum 2026 will do
- Advance the conversation on shared accountability, exploring the distinct and complementary roles different actors play in supporting implementation and progress.
- Bring implementation experience to the table, surfacing common challenges, emerging opportunities and lessons from different countries and settings.
- Put lived experience and civil society at the heart of the discussion, ensuring that perspectives on how policies, systems and services are experienced in practice are part of the global conversation on progress.
- Connect the global obesity community, creating opportunities for exchange between policymakers, scientific and professional communities, civil society, people living with obesity, youth and other stakeholders.
- Build momentum beyond Madrid, capturing key perspectives, priorities and areas of convergence to inform thought leadership, policy and country engagement, and continued dialogue through the Global Obesity Coalition.
A deliberately global and inclusive Forum
GOF 2026 will bring together approximately 100 invited participants, including:
- Governments and policymakers
- WHO and other UN agencies
- Scientific and professional societies
- International experts and academics
- Healthcare professionals and practitioners
- Civil society organisations
- People with lived experience of obesity
- Youth
- National and local implementation actors
- Philanthropy and other relevant stakeholders
Participation will be curated to ensure diversity across regions, sectors and disciplines, with particular attention to low- and middle-income countries and the meaningful participation of civil society, people with lived experience and youth.
What to expect
GOF 2026 will be designed as an interactive Forum, combining high-level perspectives with lived experience, implementation expertise and facilitated discussion, including:
- Opening keynotes setting the context for the next phase of implementation of the WHO Acceleration Plan and the importance of accountability for progress.
- Multistakeholder panel discussions exploring implementation experience and the roles of different actors across the obesity ecosystem.
- A fireside conversation with people with lived experience of obesity, bringing lived expertise directly into the policy discussion.
- Facilitated breakout discussions, enabling participants to contribute their own experience and explore specific dimensions of implementation and accountability.
- Interactive audience dialogue, bringing together themes, challenges and opportunities emerging across the Forum.
- Government reflections in a dedicated closing session led by representatives from the Government of Spain and WHO, bridging the Forum and the Summit, covering priorities identified by participating countries, emerging themes from the day’s discussions and opportunities for collaboration with the wider obesity community.
- Networking Reception to conclude - an informal opportunity for participants from the Summit and the Global Obesity Forum to continue discussions, strengthen relationships, encourage future collaboration across sectors, and welcome global leaders to Spain.
Connecting national experience with global action
Accountability happens both globally and within countries. The focus on shared accountability also reflects World Obesity’s country engagement. Through initiatives including MAPPS, evidence and stakeholder dialogue help build a shared understanding of how obesity is being addressed within national policy and health systems, where gaps remain and what different stakeholders see as priorities for progress.
GOF brings these different country experiences and perspectives into a global conversation on implementation, participation and shared accountability - complementing the government-led Summit and connecting national experience with global action.
Get involved
Participation in the Global Obesity Forum 2026 is by invitation only, with places curated to ensure a diverse and representative group of voices from across the obesity ecosystem.
If you would like to find out more about the Forum, nominate a participant or explore opportunities for collaboration, please contact our team, or follow World Obesity Federation for updates ahead of 26 October 2026.
Contact us