The WHO acceleration plan to stop obesity: a joint WHO/UNICEF operational model for designing and implementing the response

Overview

Obesity is one of the most urgent public health challenges of our time. In 2022, more than 1 billion people worldwide were living with obesity, a number that has doubled in adults and quadrupled in children and adolescents since 1990. Among them are 160 million children and adolescents (ages 5–19). Obesity early in life not only affects immediate health and development but also significantly increases the risk of long-term health complications.

To respond to this growing crisis, WHO Member States adopted the WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity during the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly. The plan introduces a more effective, measurable, and country-focused approach to obesity prevention and management.

The operational model is structured into four key phases designed to move countries efficiently from strategy to implementation:

1. Set goals and targets,and select prioritized interventions.
2. Develop detailed implementation plans.
3. Execute, guided by public health evidence.
4. Scale up, enforce, track progress, and adjust as needed.

This framework supports 34 frontrunner countries in the first cohort. Through this intensive four-phase process, these countries are accelerating progress from policy design to real-world action. This document provides an overview of the Acceleration Plan’s structure and approach, highlighting how WHO and UNICEF collaborate with countries to translate strategy into measurable impact.