Updates on WFN activities, World Brain Day celebrations, and the World Congress of Neurology.
By Prof. Wolfgang Grisold
Welcome to the current edition of World Neurology. I will provide updates on the proceedings of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), potential meeting sites for the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) in 2028, and World Brain Day (WBD) 2025 celebrations. I will also highlight our activities with the World Health Organization and United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the upcoming World Congress of Neurology in Seoul, South Korea, education, and publications. Most of this information is also on the website, and several news items are featured on social media.
WFN Matters
WFN leaders at the African Academy of Neurology in Tunis.
This year, we will hold an important Council of Delegates (COD) meeting in October at the WCN in Seoul, South Korea. The meeting will be offered in hybrid format. Delegates will receive the trustees’ report from 2024. We will also announce the results of two important elections.
The first vote is for the selection of a new WFN president (who will take office Jan. 1, 2026), a new first WFN vice president (also taking office Jan. 1, 2026), and one elected WFN trustee (office taken up immediately). Additional candidate nominations were solicited until Aug. 1, 2025, but no further applications were received.
This COD will mark the end of the term of the now coopted trustees and all committees and subcommittees. The incoming president and administration will decide on the new committee compositions beginning in 2026. We thank all current committees and subcommittees and look forward to their reports.
The WFN leadership looks forward to the election. Traditionally, the board cannot make recommendations. However, we invite you to review the candidates’ statements in World Neurology and on the website.
The second vote is for the site of the 2028 WCN, which will be held in Europe. Out of seven applicants, three remain on the shortlist: Budapest, Copenhagen, and Istanbul. All three sites were listed by Kenes Group and the WFN.
Meeting with Pan-American Federation of Neurological Societies in Asunción, Paraguay.
Even though all three locations are capable of holding the WCN 2028, the WFN has a preference for Budapest and Copenhagen. This is based on our analysis, and on the size of the exhibition halls, which are essential for WCN congresses. The facts and analysis for each location will be made available for the voting process.
For the first time, the WFN called for an extraordinary trustee meeting on July 1, 2025, to confirm the unanimous vote on establishing a president-elect and past president, as practiced in most international societies. The vote was necessary to fulfill the strict legal criteria of the U.K. charity laws.
The delegates, however, changed their minds, and the motion, although positive, did not reach the necessary 75%. Thus, the WFN will have no president-elect or past president, which will impact the continuity of the WFN and its many long-term projects and plans.
The WFN has regional societies, and we are glad to have regular exchanges and quarterly meetings with them. We had successful participation from all regions for this year’s WBD. We also attended the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting in San Diego, and the 11th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Helsinki, Finland.
Opening of the Chinese Brain Health Conference in Beijing, China.
We also participated in the Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies (PAUNS) meeting in Tunis, and the Pan American Federation of Neurological Societies (PAFNS) meeting in Paraguay. A meeting of African Federation of Neurology (AFAN) was held at the PAUNS Congress in Tunis and was co-sponsored by
the WFN.
In all meetings, we held dedicated conferences with the leadership. We have not yet had a leadership meeting this year with the Asian and Oceanian Association of Neurology (AOAN). We hope to do this at the Seoul meeting.
We also want to thank member societies for their participation in the World Health Organization’s Intersectoral Global Action Plan (IGAP) and brain health. In particular, I want to mention the two-day Brain Health Conference held in July in Beijing, China.
World Brain Day (WBD)
WBD: Meeting of regional presidents and discussion. (Screenshot: July 22, 2025.)
Although WBD has become an annual WFN event, every new WBD is a huge undertaking for the team. The choice of a series of WBD topics on brain health was completed this year with the theme of “Brain Health for All Ages.”
This theme underscores the importance of neurological diseases not only in individual age groups, but also in different regions of the world. As part of WBD, the WFN published a global call to action on brain health in The Lancet and the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
In addition to the WHO, the U.N. ECOSOC participated for the first time in WBD events in July. Then current ECOSOC president, Canadian Ambassador Bob Rae, sent a video message. The WBD event was great, and we had many contributions from regions on the importance of brain health. There were also a number of esteemed specialists who explained brain health in different age groups. You will find more information and the webinar on the WFN website. Look for reports from different regions in this issue of World Neurology.
Global Advocacy: WHO and U.N. ECOSOC
Prof. Wolfgang Grisold and Prof. Alla Guekht at the U.N. ECOSOC high-level meeting in July 2025 in New York.
The WFN is proud to be a nonstate actor (NSA) of the WHO. This has not only allowed cooperation and exchange to take place, but has helped the WHO take neurology and brain health forward in all WHO regions.
The NSA status of the WFN needs to be renewed every three years. With the help of Prof. Alla Guekht, past WFN trustee, and Ksenia Pochigewa, WFN intern, we are working on this important task.
We are also increasingly engaged in the regional WHO meetings, including Europe and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Latin America. This year, we intend to participate in the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, along with AFAN. This is the first time the WFN and AFAN will attend this meeting. It will take place Aug. 25-27, 2025, in Lusaka, Zambia.
Entrance to the United Nations Building in New York.
U.N. ECOSOC is the social council of the U.N., residing in New York City. As the WFN has a special consultative status, we use this as an opportunity to participate in U.N. meetings and have been successful in making several interventions. The U.N. ECOSOC advocates for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and is important for many medical and humanitarian issues.
We are proud that former U.N. ECOSOC president, Ambassador Rae, not only received us in New York, but also gave a statement on WBD. In September, we will attend the U.N. High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-Being in New York.
The WCN 2025
The WCN is one of this year’s highlights for the WFN. Hosted jointly with the Korean Neurological Society (KNA), the Congress will take place Oct. 12-15 in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to our excellent scientific and educational program, we have will offer brain health sessions, debates, coffee talks, interactive talks, and a large exhibition area to meet and communicate.
We are looking forward to the program, the plenary sessions, and the rich variety of general sessions, which will provide ample opportunities to inform attendees about brain health. We are also looking forward to many activities with the WHO and the U.N. ECOSOC.
There will also be several events dedicated to patients, such as a local patient day and meetings with patient organizations. One plenary session will share patient perspectives on migraine. Most importantly, a patient will open the WCN meeting, presenting his story of a remarkable and encouraging example of rehabilitation and a proof of neuroplasticity.
We are aware that financing travel to congresses can be an insurmountable burden in some countries of the world. We also recognize that time constraints may not allow travel in October. For these reasons, we will maintain the WCN hybrid congress format. Virtual participation will be at a lower cost, and all meetings can be attended at individual times chosen. There will also be EACCME CME recognition.
Education
Along with advocacy, educational activities and programs are the backbone of the WFN’s activities. They range from education at congresses and meetings to full training in the WFN Training Centers. This is a story of success, which will need to be expanded on in the future, if support and means should become available.
The Global Advocacy and Leadership Program (GALP) is a monumental attempt to promote advocacy and leadership for young neurologists in low- and middle-income countries worldwide. We have developed this program — including financing and running it — in partnership with the AAN. We had a successful live meeting in San Diego. The virtual sessions are continuing as well with two more to come.
The final part of the GALP will take place before the WCN in Seoul, South Korea. The GALP candidates will graduate in a ceremony conducted by the presidents of the AAN and the WFN at the WCN opening ceremony. This will be the first group of GALP graduates.
The educational programs in Seoul, South Korea, are attractive, and you will find the Teaching Course programs valuable. Excellent speakers will serve your need for EACCME-accredited CME.
Virtual options for the educational programs will be available as well.
You can register for both the in-person and virtual components on the website.
Publications
We are glad to have a regular solid basis of publications, including our website, social media, eNeurologicalSci, and the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.
We are in the final stages of writing a multi-author book on neurology worldwide. The title of the book is “The White Book of Neurology.” It will be published by Springer Publishing. It follows “Public Health Challenges,” our 2006 book on neurological disorders.
The purpose of the book is to explain neurological history, development, structure, and education. This may be helpful in countries where neurology is still being established.
Final Wishes
Finally, an editorial can always contain wishes. Here are a few of ours:
The first wish is that all violence and armed conflicts end, and that all victims of war can be sufficiently helped and aided.
For the international community, we hope for the further implementation of IGAP and neurology. We also wish for free and open access to neurological services for people in need.
For the WFN, we hope for a successful and communicative WCN meeting
and to meet as many of you in person at our congress reception on Sunday,
Oct. 12, 2025. It will be open for all congress participants.
We look forward to seeing you there! •
