WPA forthcoming scientific meetings

Since my election as WPA Secretary for Meetings during the 14th World Congress of Psychiatry last September, I have had the opportunity to continue the work of the past Secretary for Meetings Pedro Ruiz 1 and to add new initiatives with the help of the newly appointed Standing Committee on Meetings. This Committee, which I am honoured to chair, includes W. Gaebel as cochair; H. Chaudhry, A. Monchablon, and R. Cordoba as other members, and F. Antun and J. Raboch as consultants. All the members of this Committee have been involved in the organization of many WPA regional and thematic meetings, as well as the World Congresses held in Hamburg 1999, Cairo 2005 and Prague 2008 2, which I believe makes all of them able to add more and more to the improvement of WPA sponsored and cosponsored meetings, thus contributing to raise the image of the WPA worldwide. The Committee decided to implement and improve the tasks and functions of the WPA related to sponsored and co-sponsored meetings, by: a) improving the scientific quality of WPA scientific meetings; b) working in close collaboration with the WPA Secretary for Education to obtain CME credits for WPA meetings as much as possible; c) working in close collaboration with the WPA Secretary for Finances to improve the financial income and stability of the WPA through sponsored meetings; d) increasing the number of WPA co-sponsored meetings to involve all the 4 Regions and 18 Zones of the WPA, reaching high, middle and low income countries; e) disseminating WPA information, knowledge, educational programmes and expertise to all the different WPA Regions; f) preparing and organizing symposia in as many WPA meetings as possible on “how to organize a scientific meeting”; g) focusing as much as possible on evidence based knowledge by research oriented and educationally oriented presentations. The WPA held a very successful International Congress in Florence, Italy last April, with more than 9,000 delegates from all over the world 3. For the triennium 2008–2011, eight Regional Meetings have been planned in Isla Margarita, Venezuela (2008), Dhaka, Bangladesh (2010), St. Petersburg, Russia (2010), Beijing, China (2010), Cairo, Egypt (2011), Yerevan, Armenia (2011) and Taipei, Taiwan (2011), and two Thematic Conferences will take place in Toledo, Spain (2009) and Istanbul, Turkey (2011). We will also have at least 54 co-sponsored WPA Meetings, co-organized with WPA Member Societies or Affiliated Associations as well as other associations whose goals and objectives are in harmony with the WPA. The number of WPA co-sponsored meetings is increasing at a steady rate. As usual, this triennium will end with the World Congress of Psychiatry, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2011. The WPA meetings are going to include, present and disseminate scientific aspects of the Action Plan presented by the WPA President Mario Maj for the triennium 2008–2011 4. Since the Prague Congress in 2008, the WPA sponsored and co-sponsored meetings have been attended by nearly 34,000 mental health professionals from all over the world. With the strong interest of the WPA Member Societies and Affiliated Associations to hold WPA sponsored and co-sponsored meetings, it seems that we will not only have the same success with WPA meetings as in the last triennium, but we will surpass that level. If these expectations and efforts are properly met, the WPA will have a major role in contributing to the quality of scientific knowledge and psychiatric care offered across the world, in particular to middle and low income countries.