Egypt has received a prestigious international award from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (UNIATF), recognising its innovative and effective efforts to prevent and combat obesity, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday. The award was presented during the annual ceremony held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly and the fourth high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases in New York. Mohamed Hassani, Assistant Minister of Health for Public Projects and Public Health Initiatives, accepted the award on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar. Health Ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said Egypt also co-chaired the 10th annual high-level meeting, titled "Accelerating Action in Obesity Prevention and Management." In his opening remarks, Hassani underscored the need for comprehensive policies that encompass prevention, early detection, treatment, and community awareness. He added that this recognition—for the second year in a row—reflects Egypt's national efforts to address obesity. These include large-scale school health screening programmes covering tens of millions of children, expanded diagnostic and treatment services across thousands of health facilities, and new public health policies such as front-of-pack nutrition labelling and plans to introduce a sugar-sweetened beverage tax. Abdel Ghaffar stressed that tackling obesity and noncommunicable diseases remains a top health and development priority for Egypt. He reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to sustaining national action, strengthening international cooperation, and sharing Egypt's experience as a model for other countries striving for a healthier, more equitable future.
