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All WPA meetings are administered in accordance with the WPA Scientific Meetings Policy. This policy is reviewed and updated at regular intervals taking into account the changing nature of WPA and the environment in which it operates.
The Policy shown below was approved by the WPA Executive Committee during 2022. The Scientific Meetings Policy also forms part of the Manual of Procedures document (see chapter 9), which can be downloaded in PDF format here. This document describes the purposes and organisation of WPA Scientific Meetings and outlines the various types of meetings, the requirements and decision-making processes. Further information about WPA Scientific Meetings can be found here.
WPA Scientific Meetings can be either a WPA Congress or WPA Co-sponsored Meeting.
The World Congresses are hosted and organised in collaboration with the governing body of a national Member Society. The Regional and Thematic Congresses are hosted and organised by the governing body of a national Member Society, WPA component as primary host or as co-host to an educational or other approved organisation. The eligibility will be based on the rotation of WPA Congresses (see the first bullet point in number 4 above).
The WPA can also be involved in Co-Sponsored Meetings. These are held in conjunction with national Member Societies, WPA components or other approved organisations including educational institutions. The participation of WPA will be subject to the approval of the content of the meeting. They can be held one or more times a year in any part of the world. They are organised by the WPA components including a Member Society or a WPA Scientific Section or a WPA Zonal leadership in collaboration with a local PCO and should not compete with other WPA scientific meetings.
Congresses should avoid competing directly with other WPA Congresses or other major scientific meetings organised by other associations.
The preferred timing for all types of WPA Congresses is as follows:
The following major religious holidays should be avoided wherever possible:
The WPA has prepared a timeline for each type of Congress, and this is available on the WPA Website
WPA should preferably receive expressions of interest for World Congresses at least two years in advance of the proposed date of the World Congress, preferably at least one year in advance for a Regional and Thematic Congress. The WPA Member Society, WPA Component or host organisation should complete an Expression of Interest form, which can be found here. The completed form should be sent to the WPA Secretariat for final approval by the WPA Executive Committee. The EC decision will be communicated to all bidders promptly after the decision is made. A careful estimate of numbers should be included in the initial Expression of Interest form, as the local host society’s share of the surplus may decrease if numbers are significantly less than the number estimated. Commitment to any party, such as a Congress Centre or local PCO, should not be made before the final decision has been made by the WPA Executive Committee. Member Societies and Affiliated Associations should commit to join their annual Congress with the WPA World/Regional Congress in order to maximise attendance and impact.
Each WPA Congress should operate within the WPA Scientific Meetings Policy. The WPA has prepared sample scientific programmes, a budget template and a timeline for each Congress. These documents can be found here. It is a WPA requirement that a Professional Congress Organiser (PCO) is appointed for all World Congresses of Psychiatry. The WPA sets particular standards in the operation of its Congresses. The WPA’s goal is to create a successful brand name for its Congresses and to ensure that Congresses have high quality scientific content related to psychiatry and its sub-specialties as well as high ethical and aesthetic standards. WPA Congresses should have an interactive, proactive format, with a balance by diversity, age, gender and geography, inclusion of service users and carers, engagement of the industry, ethical compliance, accreditation, evaluation and distribution of responsibilities.
The exact number of halls will differ from Congress to Congress and will depend on the type of Congress, the scientific programme and the number of participants. The following rooms will usually be required but the numbers of each will vary:
The local host Member Society , WPA component or approved organisation, will have a coordinating role for the Congress and will be involved in planning, implementation and logistics. They will nominate a Co-Chair for the Organising and Scientific Committees (see below). The local host is also expected to:
The WPA requires the establishment of the following Congress Committees:
Other members of these Committees will be decided by the WPA President, the EC and the local host Member Society, WPA Component or approved organisation. They should include international experts. The WPA Executive Committee will be kept informed about the working of the different committees of the Congress.
There should be the following WPA Sessions:
The WPA Executive Committee will require a Congress room for 12 people for one to two days before the Congress and then for the duration of the Congress, with coffee breaks (morning and afternoon), and a light lunch served daily in the Congress room.
Draft Scientific Programme: Once the WPA Executive Committee’s approval has been obtained for a WPA Congress (referred to as the Decision Date), the draft scientific programme should be prepared within 3 months of the Decision Date.
Preliminary Budget: When the draft scientific programme has been agreed, a preliminary budget should be prepared by the local organisers, with the help of the core PCO or local PCO, based on the draft scientific programme. The preliminary budget should be prepared and sent for approval to the WPA Secretary of Finance (or the nominated EC representative) and to the WPA Director of Administration within 5 months of the Decision Date. A proposed template budget for each type of WPA Congress is available here.
Contract: After the approval of the preliminary budget, a contract will be signed between the WPA, the Member Society/WPA Component or approved organisation and the PCO (core or local) usually within 6 months of the Decision Date. This should cover details of organisational logistics, budget details or any other financial or legal liabilities. The timing of the preparation of the draft scientific program, the preliminary budget and the signing of the contract may vary between Congresses and the timings above are intended to be guidance.
The budget of the Congress should include Congress registration, travel (economy airfare), accommodation and per diem expenses of the eight WPA Executive Committee members plus 1-3 WPA administrative staff (the final number to be agreed by the WPA Director of Administration). The budget should also include Congress registration, travel and accommodation for the eighteen WPA Board Members.
The Council members are invited to the World Congress when the General Assembly takes place and their Congress registration, travel and accommodation should be in the budget for that Congress. The costs of the General Assembly, held every three years, should also be included. In addition, the cost of the involvement of the WPA Secretariat in the organisation of the Congress should be included in the Congress budget.
A revised budget should be submitted to the WPA Director of Administration every six months until six months before the Congress when budgets should be sent monthly until the Congress date. The WPA Director of Administration will forward these budgets to the WPA Executive Committee. As the revised budget may change depending on many factors, any variation of more than 15% may need to be reviewed, scrutinised and, if acceptable, approved by the WPA Executive Committee.
The application for and monitoring of the WPA Continuing Education (CE) credits process is organised by the Core PCO or the local PCO and, if required, the costs should be included in the Congress budget. There are several CE accreditation agencies in various parts of the world and the Core or local PCO will be able to advise on the most appropriate agency.
The balance of funds remaining after collecting all the revenues, less expenses as per the approved Congress budget will constitute the Congress surplus.
The surplus for World Congresses will be shared between the WPA and the national Member Society and the exact details of the surplus will be in the signed Contract. The surplus from Regional and Thematic Congresses will be shared between the WPA and the national Member Society, WPA Component or hosting affiliated society and the exact details will be in the signed Contract.
A careful estimate of numbers should be included in the initial Expression of Interest form as if numbers fall below 70% of the estimate the local host society’s share of the surplus may decrease.
These financial arrangements may need to be reviewed from time to time by the WPA Executive Commitee.
Decision Making Process for hosting WPA Co-sponsored meeting: The WPA Member Society or host organisation should complete an application form which is available here. The completed from should be sent to the WPA Secretariat for final approval by the WPA Executive Committee. The WPA Secretary for Meetings or other Executive Committee members if appropriate, will review all applications, in consultation with the WPA EC, and decisions will be announced to applicants at earliest convenience.
There may be special arrangements agreed between the WPA and the organising Member Society or WPA component or approved organisation such as holding an EC meeting or focusing on a special scientific theme. The WPA may offer professional and scientific advice, as requested and appropriate. WPA will not bear any financial or organisational responsibility for such Congresses and will not share any profits.
If approved, the applicant can acknowledge WPA co-sponsorship as follows:
The Co-sponsored Meeting content must align with the WPA mission statement. All WPA Co-sponsored Meetings should be in compliance with the respective ethical codes of conduct. The organiser must adhere to a conflict of interest disclosure policy for all faculty members. The organisers should provide a copy of the program and/or supplementary materials available at the time of the endorsement request. The organisers should provide the WPA with a list of names and email addresses of delegates and speakers after the Congress has taken place. They should also provide a summary of the Co-sponsored Meeting after it takes place, including available evaluation results. These arrangements may be modified, if necessary, in consultation with the local host.