From the President: Governance Greening Growth two years on

From the President: Governance Greening Growth two years on.

Governance, Greening, and Growth – the three pillars of my Presidency that I hope have contributed to shaping the future of family medicine worldwide. Nearing the end of my term as WONCA President, it is fitting to reflect on some of the important achievements, though of course, not everything can be included.

WONCA’s achievements reflect a bold, inclusive, and sustainable vision for global family medicine. Strategic reforms, environmental advocacy, and collaborative partnerships, enable WONCA to set a high standard for leadership in healthcare.

Governance: Building a Stronger Foundation

In December 2023, WONCA International’s British Virgin Islands entity was officially dissolved. This milestone followed three years of dedicated work by the CEO and his team. WONCA now operates solely under its Swiss-based entity.

Taskforce on Membership and Voting

Established at WONCA Council 2023, the Taskforce on Membership and Voting (2023–2025) was charged with examining the current criteria for Membership, considering the broad issues of multiple Member Organisations from one country, and reviewing the current voting tiers for countries.

The taskforce has worked extremely hard with wide consultation under the leadership of Dr Francine Lemire, (Canada) pictured. Other members have been Samantha Murton (New Zealand), Katharina Schmalstieg-Bahr (Germany), Henry Lawson (Ghana), and Tan Tze Lee (Singapore). Their final report will be presented at Council 2025 and is expected to shape the future of WONCA’s democratic processes.

Elections Policy and Oversight

In January 2025, WONCA initiated the development of an Elections Conduct Policy and formed an Elections Committee comprising three past presidents: Prof Richard Roberts (USA), Prof Amanda Howe (UK), and Dr Donald Li (Hong Kong SAR). This committee will oversee the election process, ensuring fairness, transparency, and adherence to best practices.

Executive Committee Milestones

A landmark moment in our WHO liaison occurred in September 2024, when Dr John Fogarty, WONCA’s contact in the WHO, and their primary care lead, attended the Executive Committee meeting in London. This was the first time a WHO representative joined our WONCA Executive.

Photo: John standing between the President and President-elect at Executive meeting 

The Executive Committee has made numerous key decisions:

• Proposed amendments to the Articles of Association to allow circular resolutions.
• Development of a Code of Conduct for WONCA leaders (approved April 2025).
• Strengthening Organizational Equity through regional Organizational Equity committees (approved May 2024).
• Introduction of a Policy on Declarations (conflicts) of Interest.
• Establishment of a committee to progress selection of a Core Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) and subsequent selection of same.
• Reintegration of the WONCA ICPC Foundation functions into WONCA (January 2025).
• Approval of a statement on the safety of health professionals in conflict zones (June and December 2024).

Executive processes have been streamlined with shorter meetings, focussed papers and agenda resulting in meeting cohesion, and these improvements reflect a commitment to professionalism, accountability, and strategic clarity.

Greening: Leading the Charge for Planetary Health

World Family Doctor Day 2024 celebrated on May 19, had the theme “Healthy Planet, Healthy People” which resonated globally. Member Organizations embraced the message with enthusiasm, and campaign videos, featuring the President’s message and contributions from the Young Doctors Movement and the Working Party on Planetary Health, were widely shared.

Green Collaboration with WHO has been significant and WONCA’s partnership with WHO has deepened through:

• Signing the WHO Clean Air Call to Action (2025).
• Participation in the WHO Clean Air Conference in Cartagena, Colombia, where Dr Alan Abelsohn spoke on family medicine’s role in tackling air pollution.
• Contributing to the WHO Air Pollution & Health Training Toolkit for Health Workers.

At the World Health Assembly, WONCA delivered statements on climate change and health in both 2024 as part of a constituency, and on our own in 2025.

Global Campaigns and Regional Leadership

In 2025, WONCA endorsed the Break the Fossil Influence campaign by the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

The South Asia Region (SAR) launched a regional Working Party on Planetary Health during the 2025 SAR conference in Bengaluru, led by Dr Jyotika Gupta (India). This was the first SAR conference to align with WONCA’s Equitable and Sustainable Events Policy.

Presidential Carbon Footprint

Environmental responsibility has extended to WONCA’s leadership. The President has lowered her carbon footprint, by opting for some video keynotes and alternative presenters at times. The President also served on The Lancet Commission on Sustainable Health Care Executive Committee in 2024 and 2025.

Greening Clinical Practice

A recurring message from WONCA leadership is the importance of reducing the carbon footprint in clinical practice. Key recommendations include: avoiding unnecessary medications and polypharmacy; emphasising lifestyle prescriptions; reducing unnecessary investigations and referrals; and switching from metered aerosol inhalers to dry powder alternatives - potentially cutting 10% of primary care’s carbon footprint.

Growth: Expanding Global Reach and Impact

WONCA’s commitment to growth has been evident across multiple domains- from strengthening international partnerships to launching impactful programs and publications. These initiatives reflect the organisation’s dedication to advancing family medicine globally and supporting clinicians with tools, training, and recognition.

Read our 2024 annual report if you haven’t already – this is especially helpful to find out what Working Parties and Special Interest groups have been doing.

Strengthening Global Partnerships: WHO and PAHO

WONCA has actively reinforced its collaboration with the WHO in 2024 and 2025. WONCA formalised a new collaborative plan with WHO for 2025–2027 and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PAHO, being officially recognised under PAHO’s Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA).

WONCA contributes to key WHO initiatives such as the Primary Health Care Services Package under WHO’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) project. WONCA has also delivered our own four statements at WHO executive board meeting in 2025 and constituency statements in 2024 and 2025. These developments underscore WONCA’s growing influence in shaping global health policy.

Expanding Accreditation Programs

Under the leadership of the CEO, WONCA has significantly expanded its accreditation offerings, now covering Postgraduate training, Continuing professional development, Clinic accreditation and Digital health systems accreditation. There is now a dedicated accreditation website.

To support organizations seeking accreditation, WONCA’ s Development and Enhancement Program (DEP), offers tailored solutions for global recognition and continuous improvement. In November 2024, Ping An Health in China became the first partner in the DEP, following successful accreditation of its digital health platform.

The accreditation process was also streamlined in 2024 to deliver faster results, and a dedicated website was launched to guide interested organizations through the process.

Other important initiatives

I must mention the MDD Minds Project. Completed in March 2025, the project has been a two-year initiative led by WONCA’s Working Party on Mental Health leaders, in particular Christos Lionis and Chris Dowrick. It aimed to equip primary care professionals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America with the skills to better manage major depressive disorders (MDD).

Read the final event project report, or watch the five minute video. The project lives on through modules developed and available online. In my video message for the final event I stated and I repeat “there will be many family doctors and even more patients who will benefit from this initiative”.

Coming soon in Lisbon will be the release of three new WONCA books. Join the editors in Lisbon for informal Meet the Authors sessions during coffee and lunch breaks at the WONCA booth in the exhibition area.

• Digital Health for Primary Care Edited by Ana Luisa Neves and Lilliana Laranjo
• Challenges in Primary Mental Health Care: Models for Interdisciplinary Collaboration Edited by Christos Lionis and Christopher Dowrick
• Core Values in Family Medicine: Inspiring Global Change Edited by Anna Stavdal, Johann A. Sigurdsson and Felicity Goodyear-Smith. The editors have led the ‘Core Vales Project” launched in March 2023, and findings from all regions are documented in the book.

I also invite you all to the WONCA Awards and Inauguration ceremony being held at the World Conference in Lisbon at 4:00pm to 5:30pm on Saturday 20th September. This is when we acknowledge those who’ve worked hard for family medicine and WONCA over the years and also where I say farewell and new President, A/Prof Viviana Martinez- Bianchi is inaugurated.

See you in Lisbon!

Assoc Prof Karen Flegg

WONCA President