Postponement of World Conference and Council to 2021

A letter to WONCA member organizations about the postponement of the coming WONCA Abu Dhabi World conference and Council meeting

Dear colleagues

We write to inform you of the decision taken at a WONCA Executive Board teleconference on Thursday 25th June, regarding the Abu Dhabi Council and conference.

After consulting widely within Executive and with Member Organizations (the vast majority of whom supported postponement), and taking account of the views of the Abu Dhabi Host Organizing Committee, Executive has endorsed the decision to POSTPONE the Abu Dhabi Council and conference until November 2021. Council will now take place from 21st to 23rd November 2021, and conference from 25th to 28th November 2021, at the same venue (ADNEC – Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre).

After discussion with the HOC for Sydney 2022, Executive also endorsed the recommendation to POSTPONE the Sydney Council and conference until late 2023 (dates to be confirmed).

Regional presidents and other officers are the remit of region councils. Nevertheless Executive strongly recommends that regions follow the same process and timeline as World WONCA, with regional officers remaining in position until the full meeting of World Council in November 2021. We request that regional Councils inform us of their decision once confirmed.

These have been very difficult decisions to have to make in these extraordinary times, but we are especially grateful to MOs for providing us with their views and for their support, and for the great cooperation and flexibility of the HOCs for both Abu Dhabi and Sydney.

With our best regards

Dr Donald Li, WONCA President
Dr Garth Manning, Chief Executive Officer

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