SAVE THE DATE

WHA Side Event | 21 May 2026

From Vision to Action: A Holistic Approach to Metabolic Health and NCD Prevention and Care

Join us during the 2026 World Health Assembly for a high-level side event examining why the global response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) must evolve to meet today’s realities.

As metabolic dysfunction continues to rise worldwide—affecting an estimated 1.5 billion adults—health systems are under increasing strain. This growing burden highlights the urgent need to move beyond siloed approaches to NCD prevention and care. Conditions such as steatotic liver disease (SLD) sit at the intersection of metabolic, cardiovascular, and broader NCD pathways—yet remain largely overlooked in global and national health strategies. Policymakers and health leaders can no longer afford to address NCDs without placing metabolic health at the centre of the response.

This event will mobilise policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and civil society leaders to set the course for integrating metabolic health into global NCD strategies. Together, we will define a roadmap for embedding metabolic health into global NCD strategies—breaking down silos, strengthening prevention, improving outcomes, and building health systems capable of responding effectively to changing patterns of disease and wellbeing.

The panel will be led by EASL’s Secretary General, Debbie Shawcross.

From Vision to Action: A Holistic Approach to Metabolic Health and NCD Prevention and Care

📅 Thursday, 21 May 2026 · 09:00–10:20 CEST   

📍 Ballroom AED, InterContinental Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland, Chemin du Petit Saconnex 7–9, 1209 Geneva 

Held during the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79)

👉 Register here to secure your place

PROGRAMME

9:00 – 9:10 Coffee & Registration

9:10 – 10.30 Programme:

Video Address

• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization — A message from WHO’s Director-General

Keynote Address

• Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe, World Health Organization 

Panel:

• Prof Debbie Shawcross, EASL Secretary General
• Prof Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Minister of Health, Egypt
• Dr Pedro Gullon, General Director of Public Health and Equity, Ministry of Health, Spain
• Dr Kerri Elgar, Senior Global Health Advisor, OECD 
• Prof Faisal Abaalkhail, President, Saudi Society for the Study of Liver Disease and Transplantation
• Ms Katie Dain, CEO, NCD Alliance 

Moderator: Nicola Bedlington

• Integrating metabolic health into global and national NCD strategies
• Breaking down siloed approaches to prevention and care
• The role of commercial determinants, equity, and regional context
• Translating the WHO SLD resolution into concrete national action
• Building a roadmap from vision to action