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Together for Better Liver Health: Strengthening Public Health Responses to Metabolic Disease

A Policy Event on the sidelines of WHA 78

On May 22, 2025, GLI convened a high-level policy event, on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. This policy event, co-hosted by Global Liver Institute (GLI), the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and endorsed by over 20 international medical societies and organizations, served as a Call to Action for Member States and the WHO to:

  • Formally recognize SLD as a Core NCD, ensuring it is included alongside cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and other major NCDs.
  • Expand public awareness campaigns to educate individuals on SLD risk factors and the importance of early detection and treatment.
  • Integrate SLD into NCDs prevention programs, aligning efforts with existing public health initiatives targeting obesity, lifestyle interventions, and metabolic health.
  • Support research and data collection to advance understanding of SLD’s epidemiology, prevention, and treatment.
During the event, the second edition of the policy report was released. This report reveals a few key themes: limited public understanding of liver health, widespread disparities and underdiagnosis, and a need for public awareness of the impact of obesity on liver health. The policies presented aim to address these issues.

This new edition features five new case studies from Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Qatar that demonstrate the integration of liver health into clinical pathways and broader health frameworks.

Panel 1:

Whole Health, Whole Systems: Creating Coherent Policies for Metabolic Diseases

Speakers from left to right:

Panel 2:

From Silos to Systems -Tackling Interconnected Health Crises Together

Speakers from left to right:

Larry R. Holden, Moderator
President & Chief Executive Officer, Global Liver Institute

Arun J. Sanyal, MD, Mbbs, Prof.
Director, Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, School of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University

Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral
Undersecretary, Department of Health, Philippines

Marta Zapata-Tarres, MD, PhD
Sub Secretary for Health and Director for National Institutes of Health, Mexico

Katie Dain, MA
Chief Executive Officer, NCD Alliance

Shri Saurabh Jain
Undersecretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India

Mohammad Hamad Al-Thani, MD, MBA, Prof.
Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Programs, Ministry of Health, Qatar

Mohamed Hassany, MD, Prof.
Minister’s Assistant for Projects and Public Health Initiatives
Ministry of Health and Population, The Arab Republic of Egypt

Grace L. Su, MD, FAASLD, Moderator
President, American Association for the Study of Liver Disease

Volkan Demirhan Yumuk, MD, Prof
President, European Association for the Study of Obesity
Elisabeth Dupont, MSc
Regional Manager, International Diabetes Federation Europe
Debbie Shawcross, MD, PhD, FRCP
Secretary General, European Association for the Study of the Liver

Milan Mishkovikj, LLM
Director, European Liver Patients Association

Onno Hollebloom, MD, Assoc Prof.
European Association for the Study of Diabetes
Andrea Vassalotti
Senior Director, Partnerships & Programs, World Heart Federation

Thank you to our sponsors: