The UN NCD Task Force Award Winners Network has reconvened for its second annual meeting, bringing together an expanding community of leaders working to accelerate progress on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) around the world. Established earlier this year, the network connects past and present award winners, enabling collaboration across countries, sectors, and award cycles to support stronger national and global responses to NCDs, and achieve broader global health public goals.
The virtual gathering united champions from the 2025 cohort with winners dating back to the award’s launch in 2018, creating a multi-generational pipeline of expertise. Discussions focused on scaling solutions that are already working and leveraging the network as a platform for shared learning and joint action.
The meeting underscored the evolution of the Task Force's awards scheme. Alexey Kulikov highlighted this strategic pivot: "This year, the decision was to focus fully the award scheme on obesity prevention and management". This sharper focus comes at critical time, with almost 2.5 billion people now living with overweight and obesity. Nineteen new winners were celebrated as part of the 2025 cohort, joining a global community committed to turning evidence and innovation into impact.
The second convening of the network also highlighted the important link between national innovations and global policy developments. Dr Nick Banatvala, Head of the Task Force Secretariat, provided an update on the upcoming UN Political Declaration on NCDs, underscoring the network’s strategic role in informing and supporting Member States’ commitments as the world advances toward the 2030 targets.
A key moment in the meeting was a dynamic exchange between award winners from different years and sectors, illustrating the diversity of approaches within the network.
Stupino Urban District, Moscow Region, Russia (2019 Award Winner): The power of systemic governance
Representing the long-standing awardees, the Stupino team presented their decade-long journey of building a municipal health model grounded in cross-sectoral collaboration. The work of clubs covered up segments of the population, they shared, detailing a decade-long journey that has made them a benchmark for public health governance. Their success story offered a masterclass in building sustainable, cross-sectoral health infrastructure.
Obesity Matters, Canada (2025 Award Winner): The patient-led disruption
Offering a distinct perspective, the newly recognized Canadian organisation presented their community-driven, virtual wellness model. "We took a lot of time and care in choosing our name, Obesity Matters, because we wanted people living with obesity to understand that they truly matter", stated Sandra Elia. Their data-driven, virtual wellness workshop model—boasting an 82% retention rate and a 36% reduction in self-blame—showcased the disruptive potential of placing lived experience at the centre of care. And Priti Chawla distilled the recipe for scale: "Accessibility, trust, and consistency... Programs scale best when they're delivered with communities, not to them".
Throughout the meeting, participants called for more frequent opportunities to exchange insights, align workstreams, and drive joint initiatives. The strong consensus was that the network has rapidly become an essential mechanism for knowledge sharing and problem-solving among those advancing multisectoral health action.
The second annual meeting reaffirmed network’s role as a unique and growing platform within global health. It is no longer just about who wins an award, but about what this powerful coalition of winners can achieve together. As they look to the future, their collective mission is clear: to transform isolated success stories into a universal blueprint for health.