20221021-letter to members

ASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE
WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL
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
2022 WMA General Assembly
21 October 2022
2022 WMA General Assembly, Berlin, 5-8 October 2022
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
Thanks to your productive contributions and enthusiasm, our 2022 General Assembly in Berlin was
a great achievement. I think that we all valued the opportunity to meet again in-persons.
We are honored to have Dr Osahon Enabulele from Nigeria as our new President for 2022-2023 and
are most grateful to our outgoing President, Dr Heidi Stensmyren from Sweden, for her major
contribution as President for the term 2021-2022, her guidance and friendship. Dr Stensmyren will
remain active as Immediate-Past President for the next year. Dr Lujain AlQodmani from Kuwait
was elected for President for 2023-2024.
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 International Code of Medical Ethics (revised)
• WMA Declaration of Berlin on Racism in Medicine
• WMA Declaration of Edinburgh on Prison Conditions and the Spread of Tuberculosis and
Other Communicable Diseases (revised)
• WMA Declaration of Venice on End of Life Medical Care (revision)
• WMA Declaration on Discrimination against Elderly Individuals within Healthcare Settings
• WMA Declaration on Patient Safety (revised)
• WMA Statement on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (revised)
• WMA Statement on Guiding Principles for the Use of Telehealth for the Provision of Health
Care (revised)
• WMA Statement on Health Hazards of Tobacco Products and Tobacco-Derived Products
(revised)
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• WMA Statement on Physicians Treating Relatives
• WMA Statement on Professional and Ethical Use of Social Media (revised)
• WMA Statement on the Global Burden of Chronic Disease (revised)
• WMA Statement on the Protection and Integrity of Medical Personnel in Armed Conflicts and
Other Situations of Violence (revised)
• WMA Statement on Violence in the Health Sector by Patients and Those Close to Them
(revised)
• WMA Resolution for Providing Covid-19 Vaccines for All
• WMA Resolution in support of Medical Personnel and Citizens of Ukraine in the face of the
Russian invasion
• WMA Resolution on Humanitarian and Medical Aid to Ukraine
• WMA Resolution on Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety (revised)
Policies reaffirmed by the 220th Council Session, Paris (hybrid), April 2022 and the 221st
Council Session, Berlin, October 2022
• WMA Statement on Safe Injections in Health Care (with minor revision)
• WMA Statement on Self-Medication (with minor revision)
• WMA Statement on the Ethical Implications of Collective Action by Physicians (with minor
revision)
• WMA Resolution on Economic Embargoes and Health
• WMA Resolution on Medical Assistance in Air Travel (with minor revision)
• WMA Resolution on Prohibition of Forced Anal Examinations to Substantiate Same-Sex
Sexual Activity (with minor revision)
• WMA Resolution on Tuberculosis (with minor revision)
Internal Guidelines adopted by the 220th Council Session, Paris (hybrid), April 2022 and the
General Assembly, Berlin, October 2022
• WMA Green Guidelines for WMA meetings to create more sustainable events
• WMA Guidelines on LGBTQ Equity in Venues Hosting WMA Meetings and Functions
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 amended / adopted, are available in the members’ area:
– Revised Rules Applicable to WMA Associate Membership
– Revised WMA Articles and Bylaws (incorporating the procedures regarding virtual meetings)
The WMA depository folder includes as well the WMA Dues Categories 2023 and the meeting
documents with the final index. As soon as ready, the minutes of the Council/GA sessions will be
available at the same place.
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.
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I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the German Medical Association for its
productive cooperation in organising our General Assembly and for its crucial 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/):
• Regional Conferences on the revision of the Declaration of Helsinki
– Asian Region in Tel Aviv, Israel, 9-11 December 2022*
– Other regions to be confirmed
• 223rd
WMA Council Session, Nairobi, 20-22 April 2023
• WMA General Assembly, Kigali, 4-7 October 2023
* This meeting follows the “Future Matrix Conference” of Israeli Medical Association Conference, 7-9
December 2022 in Tel Aviv.