Accelerating action toward SDG 3.4: putting obesity on the NCD agenda

By 2035, more than half of the global population is expected to be “living with overweight or obesity”. Obesity contributes to at least 38 non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, and is sometimes linked to mental health conditions. Tackling the growth in obesity is critical to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.4: “to reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs by 2030”.

Most countries are currently off track for achieving SDG 3.4. At this year’s General Assembly, global leaders will meet for the UN’s fourth high-level meeting on NCDs to assess progress and, if necessary, reassess targets and recommendations. As obesity remains both a cause and consequence of multiple systemic issues that extend beyond the health sector, policymakers must begin to treat obesity with an all-of-government approach. Failing to do so will see societies remaining stuck treating its downstream consequences—rising rates of NCDs, overburdened healthcare systems and declining quality of life—rather than preventing them.

“Accelerating action toward SDG 3.4: putting obesity within the NCD agenda”, sponsored by Novo Nordisk, will take place on the sidelines of the UNGA. An expert panel will discuss innovative policy solutions and collaborative strategies, drawing on insights from Economist Impact’s “National Obesity Action Plan Playbook”. The session will highlight practical, evidence-based interventions for prevention and care of obesity and related NCDs.

Discussion points include:

-How can national NCD plans operationalise the World Health Organisation’s Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and place obesity prevention and management at their core?
-Which policy levers—fiscal, regulatory or social—are most effective in creating environments for the prevention and care of obesity?
-How can integrating obesity-prevention and management pathways into primary care help avert obesity-related NCDs?
-With the world approaching the 2030 deadline for the UN’s SDGs, how can health leaders reframe the obesity challenge as a national development priority?