This report issues a call for urgent action to combat the growing epidemic of obesity, which now affects developing and industrialized countries alike. Adopting a public health approach, the report responds to both the enormity of health problems associated with obesity and the notorious difficulty of treating this complex, multifactorial disease. With these problems in mind, the report aims to help policy-makers introduce strategies for prevention and management that have the greatest chance of success. The importance of prevention as the most sensible strategy in developing countries, where obesity coexists with undernutrition, is repeatedly emphasized. Recommended lines of action, which reflect the consensus reached by 25 leading authorities, are based on a critical review of current scientific knowledge about the causes of obesity in both individuals and populations. While all causes are considered, major attention is given to behavioural and societal changes that have increased the energy density of diets, overwhelmed sophisticated regulatory systems that control appetite and maintain energy balance, and reduced physical activity. Specific topics discussed range from the importance of fat content in the food supply as a cause of population-wide obesity, through misconceptions about obesity held by both the medical profession and the public, to strategies for dealing with the alarming prevalence of obesity in children. "... the volume is clearly written, and carries a wealth of summary information that is likely to be invaluable for anyone interested in the public health aspects of obesity and fatness, be they students, practitioner or researcher." - Journal of Biosocial Science

Despite advances in modern dentistry, untreated dental caries in permanent teeth was reported as one the most prevalent conditions assessed in 2017 Global Burden of Disease. The restorative model for managing dental caries was developed in the 1900s, alongside dental amalgam as one of the restorative materials. The Minamata Convention on Mercury (2013) is an international legally binding treaty that aims to protect the human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The convention addresses mercury-added products, including dental amalgam, which is made of approximately 50% of elemental mercury by weight and proposes nine measures to phase down the use of dental amalgam. In March 2021, the WHO Oral Health Programme conducted an informal consultation with policymakers in the field of dental public health to better understand progress in phasing down the use of dental amalgam at global, regional, and national levels. This report describes the 2021 consultation, which had objectives to understand the extent of implementation of the nine phase-down measures; to gather knowledge of the use of mercury-free alternatives to dental amalgam; and to identify additional measures being implemented to phase down the use of dental amalgam.

In line with the recommendation of the FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI-SCA) made in 2017, as endorsed by the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2018, regarding the preparation of the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA), the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division organized, virtually, the second Expert Consultation on the development of GSA from 18 to 22 October 2021. Thirteen experts from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America attended the consultation. They were supported by seven resource persons and the FAO Secretariat. The objective of the consultation was to discuss and review the drafts of the GSA, the accompanying “Action-Oriented Guidance for Transforming Aquaculture for Greater Contribution to Achieve the SDGs: Key Interconnected Actions to Guide Decision-Makers and Practitioners (AOG)”, and the background document used for the preparation of the GSA and the AOG. The consultation significantly improved these three documents and technically endorsed the drafts of the GSA and the AOG. The experts agreed to the next step of submitting these drafts to the next session of COFI-SCA for further guidance.

The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center's Bioethics Consultation Service draws on a decade of experience to share a collection of their most interesting and informative research ethics consultations. The result is insight into the ethical issues that arise in clinical research and the practice of research ethics consultation.

This document represents the final report of the Regional Consultation for Europe and North America on the development of Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA), held virtually from 27 to 29 April 2021. The objectives of the consultation were to: share current policies and practices related to aquaculture in the regions; review existing regional and national instruments for sustainable aquaculture; develop a list of priority thematic modules considering regional and national strengths and challenges; propose and prioritize possible case study concepts linked to one or more thematic modules; and identify regional priority areas to be included in the GSA.