20211022-letter to members

THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
L’ASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE, INC
ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL, INC
Centre International de Bureaux
Immeuble A “Keynes” Website : www.wma.net Postal Address :
13, chemin du Levant Telephone : (33) 4 50 40 75 75 Boîte Postale 63
01210 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Fax : (33) 4 50 40 59 37 01212 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Cedex
France E-mail address : wma@wma.net France
To the Constituent Members
of the World Medical Association
Observers and Guests of the
2021 WMA General Assembly 22 October 2021
2021 General Assembly (online), London, 11-15 October 2021
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
Thanks to your productive contributions and enthusiasm, our online 2021 General Assembly
(London) was a great success. Together, we have once again overcome the challenges of the
meeting’s virtual format, and we are very grateful for your patience and understanding.
We are honored to have Dr. Heidi Stensmyren from Sweden as our new President for 2021-2022
and are most grateful to our outgoing President, Dr David Barbe from the United-States, for his
major contribution as President for the term 2020-2021, his guidance and friendship. Dr Barbe will
remain active as Immediate-Past President for the next year. Dr Osahon Enabulele from Nigeria
was elected for President for 2022-2023.
The General Assembly adopted essential new policies and policy revisions, reflecting the latest
consensus opinions of our profession. You will find below the list of adopted policies from this
meeting (available as well on WMA website):
− WMA Declaration on Principles of Health Care for Sports Medicine (revised)
− WMA Statement in Support of Ensuring the Availability, Quality and Safety of All Medicines
Worldwide
− WMA Statement on Access of Women and Children to Health Care (revised)
− WMA Statement on Access to Surgery and Anesthesia Care
− WMA Statement on Family Violence (revised)
− WMA Statement on Medical Care for Migrants (revised)
− WMA Statement on Medical Liability (revised)
− WMA Statement on Photoprotection
− WMA Statement on Trade Agreements and Public Health (revised)
− WMA Statement on Women’s Right to Health Care and How that Relates to the Prevention of
Mother-to-Child HIV Infection (revised)
− WMA Resolution on Covid-19 Vaccines and International Travel Requirements
− WMA Resolution on Observer Status for Taiwan to WHO and inclusion as a participating party
to the International Health Regulations (IHR) (revised)
− WMA Resolution in support of Myanmar Health Personnel and Citizens
− WMA Resolution in support of the Countries worst affected by the Covid-19 Crisis
− WMA Resolution on the repression of Nicaraguan doctors
WMA page 2
− WMA Resolution Supporting the Rights of Patients and Physicians in the Islamic Republic of
Iran (revised)
Policies reaffirmed with minor revision by the 217th Council Session (online), Seoul, April
2021 and the 218th Council Session (online), London, October 2021
− WMA Declaration on Leprosy Control around the World and Elimination of Discrimination
against persons affected by Leprosy
− WMA Recommendation on the Development of a Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism to
Permit Audit of Adherence of States to the Declaration of Tokyo
− WMA Resolution on Child Safety in Air Travel
− WMA Resolution on North Korean Nuclear Testing
− WMA Resolution on Plain Packaging of Cigarettes
− WMA Resolution on the Implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
− WMA Resolution on the Protection of Health Care Facilities and Personnel in Syria
Press releases were issued at the occasion of the General Assembly, and more to be published in the
coming weeks. Please visit https://www.wma.net/news-press/press-releases/ and stay tuned!
These are strong policies and we encourage you to promulgate them actively among your
membership. We hope that your organizational leadership and membership will discuss them and
use them as guidance resources to develop your national policies and apply their principles in your
daily work as physicians serving your patients.
The following standing documents were amended and available in the members’ area:
• WMA Articles and Bylaws (32.2/Oct2021)
• WMA Procedures and Operating Policies (POP/Oct2021)
You will also find soon the following documents in the WMA depository folder:
• WMA Dues Categories 2022
• Final meeting documents with final index and participants list
This message would be incomplete without thanking all those who have assisted in the WMA work
since last year’s Assembly, be it financially, with voluntary efforts, or in other ways. I would like to
express my deepest appreciation to the British Medical Association for its constructive cooperation
in organising our online General Assembly and for its essential contribution to the discussion
during the meetings.
With kind regards,
Dr. Otmar Kloiber
Secretary General
World Medical Association
P.S. You may find the next meetings organized by the WMA on our event page
(https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/events/):
• UNESCO Chair in Bioethics conference, 7-10 March 2022
• 220th WMA Council Session, Paris, 7-9 April 2022
• WMA General Assembly, Berlin, 5-8 October 2022