The 2019 Prince Mahidol Award Conference took place in Bangkok from 29 January to the 3rd February. Limited participation by the representatives from unhealthy commodity industries, coupled with strong calls by more ‘activist’ members of NCD civil society and academia contributed to productive in depth conversations on how negative influence by these industries could be better prevented and closely regulated.

There was a particular focus on monitoring of the alcohol industry, including dedicated discussions on the need for a Framework Convention on Alcohol Control.

Another highlight was the launch of the report of the Lancet Commission on The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change, which examines obesity in a much wider context of common underlying societal and political drivers for malnutrition in all its forms­ and its interlinkages with climate change.