What we do

We’re on a mission to reshape the story of obesity. By working alongside our members and partners every day, we help stakeholders and communities across the world achieve global obesity-related targets through research, education and policy to effectively prevent and manage obesity.

The World Obesity Federation is dedicated to the advancement of evidence-based obesity policy, prevention, management and education. As a global convener of voices from across sectors and geographies, we bring together obesity stakeholders across the world to build leadership and capacity both national and local levels, monitor and drive global progress, create and translate evidence, and help align and catalyse resources to address obesity. With our members and partners, we identify new transformative opportunities, share and amplify best practices and act together for greater local, national and global impact.

Our goals are set up to align with and complement with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and WHO targets. In the run up to 2025, in particular, we’re focusing on:

Better food systems: including advocating for and implementing recommendations of the Global Syndemic for nutrition and climate change
Improving health systems: including Universal Health Coverage, reviewing health systems, advocating for obesity as a disease, and producing recommendations and guidelines
Tackling childhood obesity: including global advocacy and coordinating of strategies and programmes, development and monitoring of policy, training and convening

What we do

Leading global advocacy for obesity

As pioneers in the field of obesity, we use our platform and reach to shine a spotlight on the importance of tackling it around the world and change the narrative surrounding it. Taking a cross-sectional approach, we work with our members and networks embedded in local contexts to act as a conduit between global targets and national actions — encouraging and enabling actors to discover new opportunities and demonstrate the importance of addressing obesity at every level.

We share our data and knowledge freely to help guide fair and effective policy, monitor targets for health and nutrition, and support all stakeholders at a local level to ensure obesity is accounted for appropriately in national plans.

World Obesity Day: Bringing together the whole global community to raise the profile of obesity and build happier, healthier lives for everyone.

What we do

Bringing together obesity stakeholders globally

We know that when we work together, we can accomplish more. As powerful conveners, we are the connective tissue that brings together everyone working to tackle obesity, hosting, growing and supporting networks for all stakeholders — from patients, to scientific and professional organisations, to governments and the private sector. We use our reach to ensure all key voices are represented in global action, including young people and those with lived experience of obesity.

Global Obesity Forum: An annual conference bringing together stakeholders to discuss key priorities, including prevention, treatment, childhood obesity, nutrition and more
Our Network: Our global community of members and ally organisations from all over the world, working together to address obesity
Events: Connect with other professionals, learn more and discover new opportunities with in-person and digital obesity-focused events hosted around the world
International Congress on Obesity

What we do

Training and building capacity

To address the issue of obesity effectively, we need to find new and innovative ways to improve the systems that are in place around the world.

Working with our networks, we identify and support new and existing obesity professional organisations through training, knowledge and policy support — particularly in lower- and middle-income nations. On the ground, that means engaging with and empowering both patients and professional advocates, both individually and as organisations, to increase professional expertise and capacity.

SCOPE: The only internationally recognised course on obesity management

What we do

Collecting and sharing knowledge

With our worldwide scope, we act as a central point to share key information, high quality data, evidence and best practices amongst obesity stakeholders at every level, from the international stage down to local resources. Through our reach and network, we share and strengthen evidence on how to address obesity, support better research and policy through scientific reviews and policy briefings, evaluate and improve health systems, and collate successful interventions and case studies. When we combine our knowledge, we can take control of obesity.

Global Obesity Observatory: Powerful statistics, maps and key data around the topic of obesity
MAPPS: Reviewing how well health systems around the world are prepared to manage and treat obesity
STOP: Discovering scientifically-sound and policy-relevant evidence on the spread of childhood obesity in European countries, and policies to address it
CO-Create: Working with young people to create, inform and promote policies for obesity prevention
Resources: Browse and discover our available public resources, from data and evidence in scientific journals to policy documents and official imagery

World Obesity Day

World Obesity Day was established in 2015 as an annual campaign with the goal of stimulating and supporting practical actions that will help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight and reverse the global obesity crisis. It is led by the World Obesity Federation as part of our Action Initiative.

Today, the event reaches millions of people every year. With your help, it can continue to grow.

Learn more here.