Global Advocacy for Hearing Health in Entertainment and Beyond.

Key Highlights

• Presented Listen For Life (LFL) to international stakeholders and WHO working groups
• Strengthened global partnerships, including with WHO, ITU, and Esports leaders
• Continued dialogue with Specsavers and other health-sector partners
• Explored expansion into new regions including the US, Japan, and Uganda
• WHO Technical Lead offered support to engage UK policymakers on hearing health

In Brief
In early July, Listen For Life attended the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Hearing
Forum (WHF) meetings in Geneva, contributing to global conversations on hearing protection and
cross-sector collaboration. The event brought together stakeholders from public health,
entertainment, technology, and policy – providing a vital platform to promote the LFL initiative on an
international stage.

Day One: Strategic Re-engagement and International Dialogue
Although unable to attend the opening plenary due to a Westminster commitment, the evening
social provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect with WHF members informally.

Key moments included:

• Early discussions with WHO and ITU representatives on the lack of audiological infrastructure in
  Japan, sparking ideas for integrating LFL into music and healthcare networks there.
• Support reaffirmed by Music Listening Session (MLS) chairs for the LFL campaign.
• Initial conversations around Esports highlighted strong potential for targeted hearing protection
  strategies tailored to gaming environments.

Day Two: Presenting Listen For Life to Global Stakeholders
The Venues and Events Working Group convened on day two, where LFL was formally presented during a 15-minute session followed by audience Q&A.

Discussion themes included:

• US Expansion: Interest from a Chicago-based audiologist, with the National Independent Venue
  Association (NIVA) identified as a key partner.
• Scalability: Questions from Specsavers about replicable toolkits for other regions. Advice was
  given to partner with local nightlife associations.
• International Endorsements: WHO’s Peter Mulas praised LFL’s visibility and asked about its
  origins, our work with Specsavers, and our engagement strategy.

Further sessions explored challenges and enablers in implementing the WHO global hearing
standard, with LFL positioned as a scalable, industry-led model.

Day Three: Advocacy, Awareness and Cross-Sector Conversations
LFL was invited to present to the Advocacy and Awareness Working Group, opening up new
possibilities for global adaptation.

Topics included:

• Cultural Engagement: A Ugandan delegate discussed using LFL to engage evangelical
  communities with high-noise events.
• Alternative Applications: Questions arose on whether LFL-provided PPE could be used in military
  settings, particularly in light of inflated supplier costs.
• Policy Engagement: WHO’s Caroline Der commended LFL’s industry partnerships and sought
  insight into its stakeholder traction.

Following the final plenary, Dr Shelly Chadha (WHO Technical Lead for Hearing) voiced her support
and offered to assist with UK policymaker engagement – even offering to attend future meetings in person. A follow-up summary of the Geneva presentation was requested.

Strengthening Future Collaborations
A separate meeting took place with stakeholders from the US Esports sector, including Adam Hill,
Nick R., and Dr Melita Moore. All parties expressed a shared ambition to adapt and align
components of LFL with the needs of the gaming industry.

The trip concluded with discussions around long-term strategy, reaffirming the importance of
cross-sector planning and global advocacy to protect hearing health in entertainment and beyond.