Growing recognition of obesity at the heart of the NCD response

UNGA 79: 22 - 27 September 2024

World Obesity representatives attended and participated in a number of events with members and obesity stakeholders at the 79^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) held in New York this September.

In an article published earlier this month, we highlighted the urgency of taking collective action to stem the tide of rising NCDs as we count down to the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health in 2025.

Obesity must be at the heart of the global NCD response. Towards this goal, World Obesity was raising awareness and advocating for obesity to take centre stage in global NCD discussions during UNGA 79. Read on for some of the week's key events and activities.

Accelerating the Response to the Obesity Epidemic – A Global Obesity Coalition event

On 26 September, The Global Obesity Coalition (World Obesity, WHO and UNICEF) co-hosted a side event on accelerating the response to the obesity epidemic with opening remarks by Victor Aguayo (UNICEF).

With over a billion people living with obesity, it is urgent that more countries prioritise obesity policy: 32 are now the frontrunner countries signed up to the WHO Acceleration Plan to STOP Obesity committed to scaling up action. 

One of our esteemed speakers was the Vice-Minister of Health for Kazakhstan, Dr Timor Sultangaziyev, who emphasised how SDGs will be almost impossible to achieve if obesity is not addressed.

Obesity and …

Key events that we participated in or attended gave us the opportunity to highlight the significant impact of obesity as a major driver of other NCDs. These included:

MASLD and MASH: prioritising a global public health threat

Hosted by The Economist Impact, our CEO, Johanna Ralston was invited to be a panellist at this event, alongside: Christoph Benn, Joep Lange Institute; Arun J Sanyal, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; Jeffrey V Lazarus, CUNY SPH, ISGlobal, Healthy Livers Healthy Lives Coalition; and HE Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Qatar Minister of Public Health. Attendance was strong with great interaction and engagement.

A key takeaway from this event was that many health challenges converge around the intersections of MASLD, CVD, diabetes, and obesity, and solutions lie in the alignment of efforts.

Health Taxes: A Compelling Policy for the Health and Fiscal Crises of Today

Johanna Ralston took part in the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health event hosted by Michael Bloomberg and Mia Amor Mottley where the Task Force’s new report on fiscal policy was launched.

The new report suggests that if all countries increased their excise taxes to raise prices of tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverages by 50%, it would generate US$3.7 trillion in additional revenue over five years, and that 50 million premature deaths would be prevented over the next 50 years.

You can download the report here: Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health | Bloomberg Philanthropies

World Economic Forum initiative focusing on healthy workforces

World Obesity is on the steering committee for the new World Economic Forum initiative focusing on healthy workforces and cardiometabolic disease, and joined a session hosted by McKinsey for HR and medical leads from a range of large companies aiming to share best practice on ensuring employees with overweight and obesity are protected and supported.

Food Day at #ClimateWeek

Our President-Elect, Dr Bruno Halpern, and EASO’s President, Dr Volkan Yumuk, attended the Foreign Policy Food+ Forum @ UNGA that convened leading food system’s experts and advocates. Our Head of Policy, Magdalena Wetzel, also attended the Tilt Collective’s #FoodDay which featured WHO Director of Nutrition, Francesco Branca, exploring the intersection of health and sustainability in our global diets.

Other event highlights

The International Society of Nephrology and the Global Patient Alliance for Kidney Health and Devex hosted Transformative health policies for NCDs: Emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach for cardiovascular, renal and metabolic conditions – which delved into the challenges and opportunities surrounding cardiovascular, renal and metabolic conditions, including the urgent need for global recognition of their close interconnections and for prioritising their care.

The World Obesity delegation attended NCD Alliance’s events: the third Annual Multistakeholder gathering on tackling inequities in NCDs; and a session co-hosted with the Healthy Caribbean Coalition on bold actions to tackle NCDs for Sustainable Development.

Mental Health had an immense spotlight. The high-level dialogue on prioritizing and rethinking mental health financing, featured Dr Devora Kestel (WHO) and the launch of the Health Finance Institute’s report on mental health financing.

What we need to do next

There is only one year to go until the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at UNGA 80. Over the coming months, we ask you to stand with us as we advocate together for:

• Greater recognition of obesity as both a disease in its own right and a primary driver of other NCDs.
• Positioning action on obesity at the heart of the NCD response.
• Increased resources dedicated to addressing obesity, proportionate to the global burden it represents.
• Coordinated multistakeholder and multisectoral action to address the roots of obesity from all angles.
• Government commitment to implement WHO recommendations and join the Acceleration Plan.
• Integration of obesity into Universal Health Coverage (UHC) frameworks.
• Meaningful involvement of people with lived experience at the centre of discussions and decision-making.

Join us at the NCD Alliance Forum in Kigali from 20 - 22 October 2024, where we’ll be hosting sessions on NCD Financing and exploring the double burden of malnutrition and NCDs in cities of the Global South.