Global Obesity Forum
The Global Obesity Forum (GOF) is a premier international platform dedicated to addressing the challenges and complexities of obesity around the world.
Established with a vision to foster collaboration and promote innovative solutions, the GOF serves as a dynamic gathering space for experts, advocates, and those affected by obesity to come together and drive meaningful change.
Our Community
The Global Obesity Forum is composed of a diverse array of participants, including:
- Healthcare Professionals: Doctors, nutritionists, and researchers who bring clinical expertise and scientific knowledge.
- Policy Makers: Government representatives and public health officials who facilitate legislative and strategic frameworks.
- Advocates and NGOs: Rights-based groups and non-profit organisations focused on public health advocacy and support.
- Industry Leaders: Innovators and business leaders from the health, fitness, and wellness industries.
- Individuals Living with Obesity: People who provide personal insights and lived experiences that enrich discussions and guide the forum's focus.
Our Mission
The mission of the Global Obesity Forum is to provide a collaborative, inclusive, and informed platform where all stakeholders can share knowledge, strategies, and practices. Through our collective efforts, we aim to better understand obesity, mitigate its impact, and improve public health outcomes globally.
The Global Obesity Coalition (GOC)
The GOC is bringing together stakeholders as a ‘coalition of the active and of the willing’ to lead, coordinate and drive action on obesity globally. It was founded by WHO, UNICEF and World Obesity and it engages commitments, builds support and aligns around the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity.
It is working with four of the ‘frontrunner’ countries in the first instance – Brazil, Jordan, Philippines and South Africa – to drive priority changes and stakeholder engagement in those countries.
Past events
Since its inception, the Global Obesity Forum has hosted numerous meetings and events, each contributing significantly to the global conversation on obesity.
The Global Obesity Forum, which was held in Windsor in March 2019, provided an opportunity for leaders in obesity prevention and management from around the globe to discuss common priorities, challenges and external opportunities. It allowed the World Obesity Federation to serve as a global, unified voice supporting international targets and action on obesity while also supporting its members, partners and stakeholders.
Various topics were discussed: changing the obesity narrative and finding a common definition of obesity from a scientific and policy perspective; addressing stigma and misrepresentation of individuals living with obesity and recognising obesity; as a disease. The outcome of these sessions helped to feed directly into World Obesity Federation’s new five-year strategic plan to help better serve its members, partners and stakeholders.
The Global Obesity Forum 2020, themed "Building Back Better," took place on September 1, 2020, featuring a series of insightful sessions led by global experts. The event opened with remarks from Prof John Wilding of the World Obesity Federation and Dr. Nathalie Farpour-Lambert from the European Association for the Study of Obesity, followed by a welcome from Mike Bloomberg.
A key session on Childhood Obesity chaired by Prof Corinna Hawkes included speakers from various international organisations discussing global strategies and challenges. The Economics of Obesity session, led by Rachel Nugent, highlighted economic impacts and policy responses. The forum also included breakout discussions on these topics, leading to a group discussion to integrate ideas presented. The day concluded with a session on breaking down silos for a whole-of-society approach to obesity.
The event discussed the Global Obesity Coalition’s priorities and progress around three main workstreams: changing the narrative, advancing work on healthy food environments, and addressing the role of primary care, as well as exploring innovations in research and policy. This half day event will open in plenary for keynote presentations, and then split into breakout sessions.
Bringing together experts from academia, civil society, and government, this convening of stakeholders will be an opportunity to share experiences and generate new ideas for the Coalition’s future work.
To launch the new World Obesity and RTI International global obesity economics research, including a methodology for calculating impact or cost of inaction on continuing not to address obesity, validated by an advisory group including World Bank and OECD, we co-hosted a side event with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNICEF on 21 September - forming our Global Obesity Forum for 2022.
This event, held on the side lines of the 2022 UN General Assembly, explored the newly launched insight and analysis of the economic impact of obesity with the help of highprofile experts in the health and obesity fields. The event was attended by over 70 people and included representatives from UNICEF, the Health Finance Institute, the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, US and several other governments, and civil society leaders.
Taking purposeful action to prevent, manage and treat obesity means ending the suffering of millions and saving billions. The economic impact of overweight and obesity is set to rise from a little under $2 trillion in 2020 to $18 trillion by 2060, this represents 3.29% of GDP globally. With the cost of inaction so high, widespread efforts to address obesity cannot afford to miss this opportunity to find synergies and catalyse action.
Like a puzzle, the solution to this multifaceted issue can only be reached when all the pieces are in place. We believe you hold a piece of the puzzle. There is no place in this epidemic to act in silos, when the majority of the global population could be living with overweight or obesity by 2035.
Want to learn more?
Email our team if you have any questions about the Global Obesity Forum, or to register interest in attending a future event.
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