- Distinguished representatives
- Participants, Partners, Colleagues and Friends
Welcome to the Regional meeting to promote healthy diets and food environments, and physical activity through policies and enabling environments.
We gather today in response to a growing problem. The burden of overweight, obesity and associated metabolic disorders has been increasing in our WHO South-East Asia Region, affecting both children and adults. These trends have contributed to a surge in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer — now responsible for nearly two-thirds of all deaths in the Region.
The causes are many. Rapid urbanization, economic development and lifestyle changes are driving unhealthy diets, lower physical activity and increased sedentary behaviors.
In our Region, an estimated 5 million children under 5 years of age are overweight. So too are as many as 37.3 million children between 5 to 19 years of age. Nearly 74% of adolescents do not meet global physical activity recommendations, and almost 50 % of adults are not physically active enough. Women and people from lower income countries are particularly affected.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes obesity and NCDs as major challenges. SDG 3.4 sets a target to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030, through prevention and treatment. Healthy diets and regular physical activity are fundamental to achieving this target. However, this requires more than knowledge and behavior change—it calls for creating enabling environments that support and encourage healthier choices.
WHO recommends actions to tackle obesity and other NCD risk factors and provides support to our countries to implement interventions. Many evidence-based WHO ‘best buy’ recommendations to reduce unhealthy diets can be implemented through regulations in schools and workplaces. WHO also recommends community initiatives for supportive environments for physical activity. We need public health campaigns about healthy eating and exercise, backed-up by policies for healthy food environments.
Ensuring affordable and accessible healthy food options and opportunities for physical activity is critical, particularly for disadvantaged groups. Therefore, fiscal policies that incentivize healthy eating are important. The Global Action Plan for Physical Activity (GAPPA) provides essential guidance on how to make populations, societies, and systems more active. It also highlights the importance of considering cultural constraints, especially when promoting physical activity among girls and women.
The successful development, implementation, and enforcement of these policies depend on a multisectoral approach. Sectors such as education, commerce, industry, transport, agriculture, and urban planning all have a role to play. While some Member States have successfully implemented food labeling regulations, trans fatty acid bans, and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, much more is needed to ensure comprehensive action across the Region.
We must confront the challenges that stand in our way. The lack of multisectoral coordination, lobbying to protect the strong commercial interests of industry, and capacity gaps of stakeholders, are major obstacles.
However, I am pleased that this workshop is an opportunity to harness the expertise of various sectors to create, implement, and enforce effective policies on healthy diets and physical activity. It is designed to harness collective expertise represented here, for policies for healthy diet and physical activity.
I am encouraged by the presence of delegations from different sectors of government, civil society groups and UN partners. By collaborating across sectors, we can strengthen national coordination efforts, build government capacity, and foster support from civil society. Together, we can drive meaningful progress towards healthier communities.
I wish this workshop every success, and look forward to outcomes and solutions that contribute to improving health and well-being, reduce health disparities, and build a healthier future for all.
Thank you.