For 70 years, since 7 April 1950, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has sponsored World Health Day (WHD). Enacted by the World Health Assembly, WHD is one of 8 official international health awareness days celebrated by governments and NGO actors who implement global, regional and local events related to the annual theme.
World Health Day 2020 celebrates the year of Nurses and Midwives, and during these difficult times, the COVID-19 pandemic provides the leading global obesity organisations an opportunity to come together to thank the global nursing community.
Nurses and midwives are the bedrock of our national health systems, and we acknowledge their crucial work providing respectful treatment and care for people living with obesity, who are particularly vulnerable to serious outcomes from COVID-19 infection, and for all our citizens around the world. With nurses in the spotlight on the frontline of national COVID-19 management, The Obesity Society, The Obesity Action Coalition, World Obesity Federation, The European Association for the Study of Obesity and Obesity Canada collectively applaud and celebrate these frontline health workers who support all of us and our public health systems every day.