On the 30th anniversary of the European Congress on Obesity it is my true honour to chair the congress on behalf of the European Association for the Study of Obesity and the Association for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland.

We are at an impasse regarding obesity prevention and treatment, and the steps we take over the coming years will determine whether conscious action and accountability will be taken at the level of the individual citizen, our scientific communities, geographical regions and at wider economic and policy levels. We have abundant usable data to guide us in supporting prevention, treatment and care related to obesity and we must be steadfast in placing human dignity, respect and potential at the centre of our decisions. We must be courageous and accept that the complexity of obesity demands us to regularly review, reflect and interrogate our scientific understanding, personal beliefs and biases. Living, growing and working in complex human systems is influenced by upstream decisions that can potentially default to what is best for a few but detrimental to many. As such, we must be conscious of the responsibility that we bear in terms of advocating for and defending human rights and social justice for our patients, colleagues, neighbours, family members and friends. Such rights and general principles are described clearly in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and though they address the survival-, development-, protection- and participation rights of children [1], by embracing and realising such rights we, in turn, invariably ensure and protect the rights of adults.

16 May, 2023

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