Action Plan of the WPA Secretary for Scientific Meetings (2023-2026)

It seems now an appropriate time to reflect upon all what the WPA has achieved regarding scientific meetings during the triennium 2020-2023. From the very beginning of that triennium, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the organization of medical conferences across the entire world. However, the WPA has strived together and advanced in terms of holding high-quality scientific meetings^{1, 2}.

Since 2021, the Association has built up a state-of-the-art platform of virtual scientific events to meet the needs of the global psychiatric community and provide cutting-edge information on recent advances in the mental health field. This has prompted Member Societies to network, continue to build bonds with each other, create new opportunities together, and allow thousands of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to participate in scientific activities. The WPA has not succumbed to the “pandemic fatigue” and has not detoured its path, but has moved forward. While the world was opening up and the travel restrictions were gradually lifted around the globe, the Association has successfully re-started in-person meetings. We are proud of these accomplishments, and we could have not achieved them without the strong commitment of the organizers of all the events, including Member Societies and Scientific Sections. Also, we are profoundly grateful for the contributions made by the Standing Committee for Scientific Meetings and the Executive Committee in quickly reviewing and approving the proposed meetings, and we acknowledge the continuous, consistent and excellent support of the WPA Secretariat.

During the triennium 2020-2023, a total of 17 WPA scientific meetings have been organized, including four World Congresses (two in Asia/Oceania, one in the Americas, and one in Europe), five Regional Congresses (two in Europe, two in Asia/Oceania, and one in Africa/Middle East), and eight Thematic Congresses (three in Europe, two in Asia/Oceania, one in the Americas, and two in Africa/Middle East)^{3, 4}.

The 2023 World Congress of Psychiatry, under the theme “Psychiatry: Current Knowledge and Perspectives for Action”, was successfully held in Vienna, Austria from September 28 to October 1, 2023. The outstanding contributions made by Member Societies and colleagues from all continents helped us immensely to build up the program for the Congress. There was a wide selection of plenary sessions, panels, symposia, special sessions, project sessions, film sessions, and many more. Thousands of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals from across the world got together to witness cutting-edge research in the mental health field. Worldwide active participation in the 2023 World Congress made this a gratifying and memorable event. We most sincerely appreciate the partnership with the local WPA Member Society, the Austrian Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

The WPA is now calling for Member Societies to consider organizing a World Congress, Regional Congress or Thematic Congress in the triennium 2023-2026. All relevant information and documents can be downloaded directly from the WPA website (www.wpanet.org/contact-forms). Please feel free to get in touch with me or with the WPA Secretariat at [email protected] for additional information, including how to plan and proceed with organizing a WPA scientific meeting.

For the triennium 2023-2026, the Action Plan of the WPA Secretary for Scientific Meetings includes: a) working with the Executive Committee and the Secretariat to oversee and coordinate all official WPA scientific meetings, and manage applications for WPA co-sponsored meetings; b) maintaining responsibility for the development of proposals to host the World Congresses of Psychiatry and other WPA scientific meetings in accordance with the Association's policies; c) assisting in all aspects of the organization of World Congresses and other WPA scientific meetings⁴.

The WPA goals for scientific meetings in the triennium are: a) increasing the exchange of information between psychiatrists from different parts of the world, including networking, training and mentoring of early career psychiatrists; b) contributing to the education of all categories of mental health workers by providing up-to-date scientific information; c) increasing exchange and collaboration between psychiatrists and their community, professional, government and development partners in all parts of the world; c) boosting collaborative research by bringing together psychiatrists and others interested in research from various parts of the world; d) strengthening links between WPA Member Societies, as well as between the WPA and international and regional organizations in psychiatry; e) increasing the visibility of psychiatry nationally and internationally; f) contributing to WPA finances.

The WPA Standing Committee for Scientific Meetings will continue to implement and improve the tasks and functions of the WPA by: a) further upgrading the scientific quality of WPA scientific meetings with state-of-the-art presentations; b) working in close collaboration with the WPA Secretary for Education and Publications as well as with the WPA Secretary General to provide continuing medical education (CME) credits for WPA meetings; c) working in close collaboration with the WPA Secretary for Finances to improve the financial income and stability of the WPA; d) increasing the number of WPA co-sponsored meetings to involve all the four Regions and 18 Zones of the Association, reaching high-, middle- and low-income countries; e) disseminating WPA information, knowledge, educational programs and expertise to all the WPA Regions; f) focusing on evidence-based knowledge by research- and education-oriented presentations; g) addressing the mental health issues during the post-COVID-19 era.

In summary, as we look back to the past three years, we can state that the WPA has overcome the unprecedented challenges and obstacles of that period. For sure, the WPA will adjust to and enfold whatever the future normalcy/normality we will be facing during the “post-pandemic” era⁵. We trust that the future WPA scientific meetings will reinforce the unique bonds that hold our Member Societies together, and get all these Societies re-energized and re-engaged during the coming years. We are confident that, by embracing these opportunities, taking global action, and working closely together with international collaborations, we shall move forward to maintain our momentum into 2024 and beyond, to continue to define and shape the future in psychiatry^6-8.