United Nations focus on childhood obesity
In the opening address to the 67th World Health Assembly, Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, voiced her deep concern about the increase worldwide of childhood obesity saying that ‘Our children are getting fatter’. Likewise, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food stressed the fact that the burdens of malnutrition are becoming more health-threatening than smoking. To gather the best possible advice on dealing with this crisis, Dr. Chan announced to the 194 member countries that she has established a high-level Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. The Commission will produce a consensus report specifying which approaches are likely to be most effective in different contexts around the world. The recommendations of the report will be announced at next year’s World Health Assembly.