Croatian President’s Wife Sanja Musić Milanović Addresses Representatives of 53 Countries of WHO European Region on the Topic of Innovative Approaches to Childhood Obesity Prevention

At the invitation of the World Health Organization, the wife of the President of the Republic of Croatia Professor Sanja Musić Milanović, Ph. D. paid a two-day working visit to the World Health Organization in Geneva. During the meeting of the WHO Executive Board, Professor Sanja Musić Milanović gave an opening address to the representatives of 53 countries of the WHO European Region on the topic of innovative approaches in the prevention of childhood obesity.

In her opening address, Professor Sanja Musić Milanović mentioned the fact that obesity is a complex disease that is also a risk factor for other chronic non-communicable diseases. She emphasized that even before the pandemic, not a single country from the WHO European Region came close to achieving the goal of reversing the increase in the proportion of obese children, adding that achieving this goal after the start of the pandemic is even more challenging. She called on those present to act together and underscored the need to treat this health problem as a top political issue.

Among her other engagements during her stay in Geneva, Professor Sanja Musić Milanović met with the Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who presented her last year with the 2022 Health Champions Award. They discussed further steps for joint cooperation in the area of prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases, with special emphasis on obesity. The importance of obesity prevention in children as part of preserving the health of the entire population was emphasized, as well as the importance of a comprehensive approach to obesity prevention through a multi-sectoral set of actions targeted at all periods of life.

Professor Sanja Musić Milanović also held a meeting with the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge. She serves on the Advisory Council on Innovation for Noncommunicable Diseases of the WHO Regional Director for Europe and heads the special Working Group for the Prevention of Obesity in Children.

Along with a special emphasis on current epidemiological challenges at the global and European level, as well as future steps at the European and national level, examples of good practice and the importance of joint cooperation, Professor Sanja Musić Milanović and the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge discussed the professional and scientific activities that are currently underway in this area in Croatia and Europe, and concrete joint future innovative steps to deal with this problem. The next steps for joint cooperation in this area were agreed upon.

FOTO: WHO