Continental Webinar to Stop Obesity in Africa

Organizers

African Union Commission, UNICEF and World Health Organization

Date

8 November 2022

Time

12:00 pm Brazzaville ║14:00 pm Nairobi║13:00 pm Johannesburg║12:00 pm Geneva & Rome ║11:00 am Accra & Dakar

Languages

English, French and Portuguese

Background 

At the African Union level, Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy (2016-2025) recognizes that almost all AU Member States are experiencing not just undernutrition, but also overweight, obesity and associated non-communicable diseases.  In efforts to support the strategic objective #1 of the AU food and nutrition strategy, “AUC defines standards, norms, policies and frameworks for AU Member State adoption and ratification”, implementation of the globally agreed acceleration plan to Stop Obesity is timely for the continent.

The Acceleration Plan to STOP Obesity aims to deliver on the need to consolidate, prioritize, and accelerate country-level action against the obesity epidemic through coherent and harmonized efforts and in alignment with the recommendations to strengthen and monitor diabetes responses within national noncommunicable disease programs with a timeline between now and 2030.

The acceleration plan is designed to stimulate efforts to address the multiple drivers of obesity through five workstreams which identify priority actions for impact, support implementation of country level actions, communicate and advocate for action, promote supportive stakeholder engagement and monitor progress towards global obesity targets. Its implementation aims to progressively result in: 

• an increased number of countries implementing effective policies to address prevention and management of obesity.
• improved policy efficiency and coverage and expanded Access to obesity prevention and management services; and
• an improved trend in obesity rates across the life course. 

Its success will rely on country leadership, political commitment and the adoption of a whole-of-society approach where everyone, including people with obesity and their families and communities, plays a part in tackling obesity.

Objective of the webinar

• Raise awareness on the issue of obesity in the continent and the need for monitoring system for availability of data specially for children and adolescent to assess the burden and monitor our progress toward the global targets
• Orient countries on prioritized interventions to prevent and manage obesity, based on WHO global and regional guidance on obesity prevention and management and related topics and in line with the objectives of the Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy
• Orient countries on moving towards execution and impactful outcomes through a robust delivery-oriented management approach
• Update on the plan to roll-out the Global Acceleration Plan in the African continent 

This webinar is part of the African Union Year of Nutrition : Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthening Agro-Food Systems, Health and Social Protection Systems for the Acceleration of Human, Social and Economic Capital Development.