PMAC 2024: Geopolitics, human security and health equity

In January, our President-Elect, Dr Simón Barquera was invited to attend the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. This is a high-level global health event sponsored by the Thailand government to promote policy-research discussion.

Simón participated in a number of sessions during the week long conference, including:

• Two side events sponsored by the World Bank to talk about obesity prevention policies and taxes on unhealthy foods and beverages. The topics were 'Mexico's experience with industry interference in implementing Sugar-Sweetened Beverage (SSB) taxes' and 'Leading the way: the Mexican experience with nutrition-targeted taxes'.
• He was also a panelist at a symposium on geopolitics of health and conflicts of interests where he spoke about 'How geopolitics of commercial determinants of health can influence the impacts of food, beverages, and agriculture industry on health.'

Simón has been invited to be the honorary speaker at a virtual presentation of the WHO office in Thailand to the government on obesity in February.