Plan of the WPA Secretary for Scientific Meetings for the triennium 2020‐2023

It has been a great honor to be elected as the WPA Secretary for Scientific Meetings and to join the WPA Executive Committee. I am poised to do my utmost to promote the mission of the WPA and look forward to contributing to the achievements and success of the Association, supporting and advocating for the members and further advancing the best clinical care, education and research in psychiatry globally1, 2.

The WPA Secretary for Scientific Meetings is expected to: a) work with the Executive Committee and the Secretariat to oversee and co‐ordinate all official scientific meetings of the WPA and manage applications for WPA co‐sponsorship of scientific meetings; b) be responsible 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) assist in all aspects of the organization of World Congresses and other WPA scientific meetings ³ .

The WPA goals for scientific meetings, as delineated in the policy approved by the Executive Committee in May 2019, are to: a) increase the exchange of informa­tion between psychiatrists from different parts of the world, including networking, training and mentoring of early career psychiatrists ⁴ ; b) contribute to the education of different categories of mental health workers by providing up‐to‐date scientific information ⁵ ; c) increase exchange and collaboration between psychiatrists and their community, professional, government and development partners in all parts of the world; d) boost collaborative research by bringing together psychiatrists and others interested in research from var­ious parts of the world; e) strengthen links among WPA Member Societies and between WPA and international and regional organizations in psychiatry; f) increase the visibility of psychiatry nationally and internationally; g) contribute to WPA funds.

The WPA Standing Committee for Scientific Meetings will continue to implement and improve the tasks and functions of the WPA related to congresses and co‐sponsored meetings by: a) improving the scientific quality of these meetings with state‐of‐the‐art presentations; b) working in close collaboration with the WPA Secretary for Education and 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 through sponsored events; d) increasing the number of WPA co‐sponsored meetings to involve all the four Regions and eighteen Zones of the WPA, reaching high‐, middle‐ and low‐income countries; e) disseminating WPA information, knowledge, educational programs and expertise to all the WPA Regions, in coordination with the Association's Scientific Sections6, 7; f) focusing on evidence‐based knowledge by research oriented and educationally oriented presentations; g) addressing the mental health issues during and after the COVID‐19 era8, 9.

From the very beginning of the current triennium 2020‐2023, the COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted planned medical conferences across the entire world. While facing these uncertain, unpredictable and unprecedented times, the WPA remains sensitive and respectful not only to those affected by COVID‐19 but also to our own safety and well‐being ¹⁰ . Based on close monitoring of the global risk assessment by the World Health Organization regarding the COVID‐19 pandemic, a number of our congresses and co‐sponsored meetings have since been cancelled, postponed or transformed into innovative online formats.

At present, it is difficult to predict when the pandemic will be mitigated and we will be able to travel safely and resume in‐person meetings without jeopardizing our and others' personal health. We will close­ly monitor the future development of the COVID‐19 pandemic and diligently make appropriate and sagacious adjustments in planning for future congresses. The WPA will not succumb to the “pandemic fatigue” and detour its path, but will move forward.

The Association is confident that, by work­ing closely together, we will be able to face and overcome the challenges. While trusting the pandemic shall pass, we now set our sights on 2021 and beyond, begin to review and reflect on the relevant issues of the current year, especially mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic, then strategize how to plan what the future will hold for us and embrace whatever the new norm for the post‐COVID‐19 era would be.

The very first WPA scientific event of the new triennium was the Thematic Congress on Intersectional Collaboration entitled “Psychological Trauma: Global Burden on Mental and Physical Health” , held virtually from 11 to 13 December 2020. The following WPA Congresses that have been held or are confirmed or proposed include: the World Congress of Psychiatry “Psychiatry in a Troubled World” , held virtually from 10 to 13 March 2021; the Regional Congress “Interdisciplinary Understanding of Co‐morbidity in Psychiatry: from Science to Integrated Care”, held virtually from 16 to 18 May 2021; the Regional Congress “Psychopathology in Periods of Transition” , scheduled in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 7 to 9 July 2021; the World Congress of Psychiatry “New World, New Challenges for Psychiatry and Mental Health”, to take place in Cartagena, Colombia, from 18 to 21 October 2021; the World Congress of Psychiatry to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 3 to 6 August 2022; and a Thematic Congress scheduled in Moscow, Russia, in October 2022.

The future congresses and meetings may be transformed into virtual or “hybrid” formats until the world recovers from the pandemic, and it becomes safe to travel and to convene face‐to face meetings. The WPA has called for each zone to think of a thematic meeting and/or a regional meeting in collaboration with other zones. The latter provides a viable opportunity to get closer to the other zones in the region. There are more WPA congresses and co‐sponsored meetings in the pipeline and we will regularly provide updates.