WPA communications under reorganization

The problem of communications is one of the highest priorities in all international organizations. This has become especially noticeable after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on direct communication between members of any organization1. An effort to restructure communication processes in the WPA was long overdue, and the new leadership of the Association has had to significantly expand and change many functions in this process, and to introduce a new WPA communication concept2-5. In every organization, communications can be divided into internal and external. Internal, in our case, are communications between all components of the WPA: the Executive Committee, the WPA Secretariat, the Zonal Representatives (the Board), the WPA Council, the Collaborating Centers6, the Scientific Sections, the various Committees and, of course, Member Societies. External communications include any ex­change of each component of the WPA with the outside world. One of our immediate tasks has been the problem of digitalization of the work of the WPA Secretariat. As a result of the pandemic, the WPA has faced a major crisis, with a variety of financial and organizational problems2, 7. The whole Association has had to step up to solve these problems and become stronger and more professional. This move has involved changing the roles, responsibilities and tools of the Secretariat, with the active support of all components of the Association8. It was decided to actively implement dig­ital tools designed for internal communication, to use an automation and integration system to reduce time-consuming and repetitive tasks, and to more actively apply planning and workload management. It was also necessary to streamline the management of stakeholders and the exchange of documentation, and to determine in advance the workload forecast. The Secretary General is required to keep ongoing relations with the various components of the WPA, which includes reg­ular work with the Secretariat, developing strong relationships with the members of the Executive Committee, maintaining re­lations with Member Societies and Scientific Sections, liaising with the WPA com­munications consultant, overseeing communications with relevant media, and reporting regularly to the President8. The Secretariat must carefully track records of all incoming e-mails on the website and respond to individual inquiries within 24 hours of receipt. It oversees the management of all subscriptions associated with the site, uploads all the relevant documents, and keeps the membership updated about all major events concern­ing the Association9. The WPA Secretariat also keeps track of all standard letters regarding fees and administration, maintains mailing lists/contacts, and ensures that they are up-to-date for all WPA components. Despite the objective difficulties of the past six months and the increas­ed workload, the Secretariat has generally managed to transition successfully to this new communication model. A necessary part of optimizing communication has been to reorganize the WPA website (www.wpanet.org)10, 11. In general, the work on the restructuring of the WPA website has been completed, but it has not been easy to meet the limited budget allocated for solving important tasks. These include the Association's presence on the Internet and social media; copywriting, ed­iting and preparation of presentations, pub­lications and communications with stakeholders; and providing advice and support when needed. In terms of the Internet and social media, a communications consultant has been appointed to manage the WPA website, developing and uploading content as needed. This includes creating, editing and up­load­ing news; creating and/or updating new pages, layouts, forms, menu items as need­ed; uploading new training webinars and other materials to the educational por­tal, as well as edited documents or texts such as presidential messages and position state­ments. A new initiative of the last few months has been the upgrade of the Association's presence in social networks. At the initiative of the President, special WPA sections have been created in various networks, such as Facebook and YouTube, and a num­ber of new materials have been developed for psychiatrists around the world. With the help of the communications con­sult­ant, a whole series of recordings have been uploaded on YouTube, such as mem­oirs of former WPA presidents and reports of members of the Executive Committee on their duties and responsibilities. One of the highest priorities and important areas of work, successfully promoted and organized in practice, has been the creation of a quarterly electronic WPA Newsletter8. The first issue has been delivered in June 2021, with more than 40 articles from various components of the WPA. Four subsequent issues have been then released, and this process continues successfully. The electronic WPA Newsletter is published quarterly. The Secretary General is re­sponsible for its publication, but the overall coordination of this ambitious project is ensured directly by the WPA President. The WPA Executive Committee approves the plan and structure of each issue of the Newsletter. A new very stimulating and promising initiative has been the launch of a WPA electronic journal, a kind of digest of the most interesting recent scientific publications in the field of psychiatry, prepared by young professionals from different countries12. In conclusion, it can be said that the process of reorganization of WPA communications is developing in accordance with the initial plan.