Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Steatotic liver disease (SLD) emerged as a major yet overlooked public health challenge. Despite its close links to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease – and despite affecting one in three people worldwide – SLD has received far less policy attention than other Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). As countries worked to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly NCD Target 3.4, addressing SLD became essential for improving metabolic health and reducing premature mortality. The commitments made at the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs underscored the urgency of translating political momentum into concrete action.
This World Health Summit 2025 Global Health Lab session – co-hosted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – examined how liver health could be integrated into broader NCD policies and strategies. The session was moderated by Jeffrey Lazarus (ISGlobal). It explored gaps in awareness, diagnosis, and models of care, and assessed how health systems could strengthen preparedness for rising metabolic and liver disease burdens.
Speakers Katie Dain (NCD Alliance), Ricardo Baptista Leite (HealthAI), Achim Kautz (Kautz5), and Jeremy Farrar (WHO) discussed policy priorities, economic impacts, and barriers to implementing cost-effective interventions. They highlighted opportunities to advance “Best Buys” for metabolic health and SLD and emphasized the need for coordinated global action.
The session underscored the importance of elevating liver disease within the global NCD agenda and building a roadmap that supported prevention, early detection, and equitable long-term care.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more: worldhealthsummit.org
Steatotic liver disease (SLD) emerged as a major yet overlooked public health challenge. Despite its close links to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease – and despite affecting one in three people worldwide – SLD has received far less policy attention than other Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). As countries worked to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly NCD Target 3.4, addressing SLD became essential for improving metabolic health and reducing premature mortality. The commitments made at the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs underscored the urgency of translating political momentum into concrete action.
This World Health Summit 2025 Global Health Lab session – co-hosted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – examined how liver health could be integrated into broader NCD policies and strategies. The session was moderated by Jeffrey Lazarus (ISGlobal). It explored gaps in awareness, diagnosis, and models of care, and assessed how health systems could strengthen preparedness for rising metabolic and liver disease burdens.
Speakers Katie Dain (NCD Alliance), Ricardo Baptista Leite (HealthAI), Achim Kautz (Kautz5), and Jeremy Farrar (WHO) discussed policy priorities, economic impacts, and barriers to implementing cost-effective interventions. They highlighted opportunities to advance “Best Buys” for metabolic health and SLD and emphasized the need for coordinated global action.
The session underscored the importance of elevating liver disease within the global NCD agenda and building a roadmap that supported prevention, early detection, and equitable long-term care.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more: worldhealthsummit.org
