WPA Review Q3 2023

Dear Friends,

As this is my last eNewsletter as President, let me first thank you all for your support to the World Psychiatry Association (WPA). It was indeed a pleasure to start my term as President in October 2020 and to lead this prestigious organisation during these three years. It was also my honour to represent our membership who have worked together to strengthen our profession – especially during this difficult and challenging period. As I look back over the triennium, I am impressed and overwhelmed by the way WPA worked and stayed in action with its distinct global functioning in various areas of diversity, equality, and the spirit of inclusion.

Mental health is currently facing several challenges, and although our profession may be seen as being under threat, there are many opportunities that can help us consolidate psychiatry as an inspiring branch of medicine. WPA is the umbrella organisation for psychiatrists worldwide and therefore has a major responsibility for leading the profession. This leadership can only be achieved through the full participation of our members and the engagement of our professional colleagues.

It has not been easy to navigate through these challenging years, but we have come together and achieved so much. Our commitment to progress also extended to our day-to-day operations with a number of different ongoing activities, including:

Finalising and preparing the last details for our 23rd World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP23) which takes place in Vienna later this week
Released information about the upcoming General Assembly and the election process
Two of our Components offered Medical Students and Psychiatric Trainees the opportunity to win a fellowship (Travel Award) to attend our Congress in Vienna. Here you can read about the competition and the winners.
Released our Triennium Book which highlights the vital contributions made by the WPA Components over the last 3 years. The full story can be read here.
Our Action Plan 2020-2023 Working Groups continued their tireless efforts to fulfill their terms of reference, and I am delighted to witness the significant progress they have achieved and the impactful activities they have organised here.
The winners of the WPA Psychiatry Exchange Program - A Success Story award were announced. This award recognises the outstanding contributions of the participants who have actively engaged in an exchange program. The three awardees, facilitated by WPA, received a diploma, will have the opportunity to present their exchange experience and outputs at a special session during the WPA Congress and received a monetary contribution. The full story can be read here.
The WPA Educational Portal team has added a number or new modules to the platform. During the last quarter, WPA has been uploading a series of learning modules and webinars coving a variety of subjects including: WPA Asian Task Force’s Webinar Series on Stigma, Global Mental Health and Cultural Psychiatry, Why and How of Successful Partnerships Between Psychiatrists and Service User and Family/Carer Advocacy Movements and There is no mental health care without human rights to name a few. For the full list of latest additions, visit the Portal itself to view the wealth of resources that are available to you.
WPA Scientific Sections continue to update their web pages to ensure their Section's information is up-to-date and engaging. You can view the pages here.
We have sponsored, collaborated on or supported a number of online educational activities, including the "Suicide: Awareness and Prevention an Expert Panel Discussion - Indonesia" and the "Geopsychiatry - Displacement and Gender-Based Violence", to name but a few. For the full list of upcoming online educational activities, please visit our web page.
The “WPA e-Journal Club” published its fifth edition and we are now working on the next one. This and previous editions of the WPA eJournal can be read here.

While finishing my role as President of WPA, I remain ever hopeful and optimistic about future of WPA. WPA values everybody who has a commitment to working as a mental health professional because they are the future and future does matter.

Please join me in welcoming the new office bearers for the next triennium and let's continue supporting WPA in its efforts in improving the image of psychiatry, psychiatrists, and our membership. We need to shape the future of psychiatry and mental health together.

Best wishes,
Afzal

Prof. Afzal Javed
WPA President

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