Global advocacy, the World Health Assembly, and the World Congress of Neurology take center stage.
By Prof. Wolfgang Grisold
I want to welcome the readers of World Neurology, the newsletter of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). I am happy to report on activities since our last issue.
Prof. Wolfgang Grisold presenting his intervention at the U.N. in New York City.
Global Advocacy
The 10th United Nations (U.N.) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for the Sustainable Development Goals took place May 7-8, 2025, at the U.N. in New York City. This meeting focused on advancing science and technology worldwide, implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), STI financing and capacity building, and strengthening research infrastructures for sustainable development.
The WFN was successful in making an intervention on capacity building and brain health in the session titled “Scaling up STI Financing and Capacity Building and Strengthening Research Infrastructures for Sustainable Development.” There were many academic talks on the improvement of research and academia in Africa, with impressive projects highlighting the overall need for funding.
The plan is for the WFN to continue with the activities of the U.N. ECOSOC at their next technical meeting this summer. The preparation for the further implementation of tools to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is important.
The WFN, represented by Ksenia Pochigaeva (center), WFN neurology intern, participated during the World Health Assembly and made a statement in support of resolution WHA74.4 (2021).
World Health Assembly
The WFN visited the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) May 19-27 in Geneva, Switzerland, and attended many sessions. The WHA is visited by ministers and top-ranking diplomats and is the most important meeting of the WHO worldwide. The main concerns are funding for the WHO and the threats of possible new emergencies.
The WFN was represented at the meeting by Ksenia Pochigaeva, WFN neurology intern, and me. Ksenia was able to state two interventions on behalf of the WFN — one on neurological infections and the other in support of resolution WHA74.4 (2021), which is aimed at reducing the burden of NCDs by strengthening the prevention and control of diabetes. Further details can be found on the WFN website and in the WFN Service Pages in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences (JNS).
Meeting at the WHA in Geneva. (Left to right): Dr. Tarun Dua, Prof. Wolfgang Grisold, and Dr. Dévora Kestel, director of the WHO Department of Mental Health, Brain Health, and Substance Abuse.
We also met with representatives of the WHO Brain Health Unit and confirmed our determination to support the further implementation of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan (IGAP) on epilepsy and other disorders.
World Brain Day 2025
The preparations for World Brain Day (WBD) 2025 are proceeding, and we are happy with the selection of Brain Health for All Ages as the main topic. We were able to publish a letter in the JNS that contains a valuable table listing neurological disorders grouped by age and region.
This year’s WBD will culminate on July 22 with a webinar. This webinar will include experts on those age groups and representatives from those regions. Please look for information from your region, and be sure to check out the WFN website toolkit.
The 2025 World Congress of Neurology
We are looking forward to the 2025 World Congress of Neurology (WCN) Oct. 12-15, in Seoul, South Korea. The preparation for the meeting is coming along well. We currently have 2,100 abstracts and are still hoping for more to come. The travel opportunities and visas seem to be much easier for Korea, and we hope to see you there in person.
We will have an interesting scientific program with plenary sessions, scientific sessions, and a number of brain health talks on global topics, with speakers from the WHO. We will continue our series of informal coffee talks, and we are planning several interactive sessions.
We will feature three major events devoted to patient issues:
- A Korean patient day, which will be co-organized by the Korean Neurological Association (KNA)
and WFN. - During the WCN Opening Ceremony, we will hear the experience of a patient who lost all four limbs to meningitis and sepsis and yet is able to walk and use his hands following transplants and rehabilitation.
- The plenary lecture, delivered by Prof. Fumihiko Sakai, will report on the Fujitsu Project on Migraine, changing the fate of migraine patients in a large organization.
We thank the KNA for its cooperation and for the development of the program with our scientific community.
During the meeting, there will be a WFN Council of Delegates (COD) meeting, which is the most important gathering of WFN members. Three positions will be elected: president, vice president, and one elected trustee. Voting for these elections will take place electronically prior to the meeting. The results will be announced to all the delegates at the COD meeting.
At the same time, delegates will receive the results of the poll for the 2028 WCN, which will take place in Europe following the 2027 WCN in Cape Town, South Africa. All applying cities (Budapest, Copenhagen, and Istanbul) are undergoing formal site visits to explore the congress centers, transportation, and hotel venues. The results of these site visits will be available before the election. We appreciate the efforts of all societies for their willingness to host the WCN 2028.
The Cape Town meeting in 2027 will be the last of the biennial WCN. Beginning in 2028, we will have annual congresses. In addition, we will also change from four to three regions: Europe and Africa, the Americas, and Asia. This will require changes in the organization and duration of the meetings. It will also increase the presence of the WCN in the regions from every eight years to every three years, boosting the impact of the WFN.
The World Federation of Neurology Update (WNU) is planned for 2026 and will again provide updates on developments in neurology. It will be virtual, low-cost, and contributions will be published in eNeurologicalSci, our open-access electronic journal.
WFN Extraordinary General Meeting
On July 1, 2025, there will be an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of WFN delegates regarding changes to the WFN bylaws. An identical motion was made by the trustees at the COD meeting in September 2024. Under U.K. company law, it now requires a formal vote allowing all participating delegates to respond yes, no, or abstain. This process was explored carefully with legal help, and I want to thank the London office for its extraordinary input in this important legal procedure.
As a reminder, these changes implement a president-elect one year before the termination of the acting president’s term, and establish the past president as an advisor on the board. In addition, eligibility requirements for future presidents will be updated. Please participate in this vote as a quorum of 15 members is needed.
Prof. Wolfgang Grisold (second from left) at the WFN booth at the meeting of the Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies (PAUNS), along with a delegation from Yemen.
WFN Projects and Funding
It is important for the WFN to be able to continue its work on its large number of existing projects. These include education, WHO and United Nations ECOSOC, and Brain Health. Continuation and innovation in these areas are important.
The WFN is financially independent, which is a great asset. We have a constant income from membership fees and publishing royalties from Elsevier Science, which publishes the Journal of the Neurological Sciences. However, the income from congresses is decreasing, and funding from large international organizations is needed for some educational projects. The trustees have decided to explore these funding options, and a project with an external advisor has been initiated.
Education
Screenshot from the virtual GALP meeting featuring Dr. Neerja Chowdhary (right) speaking on the IGAP implementation.
The Global Advocacy Leadership Program (GALP), in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), will help to increase advocates and leaders in neurology for low-middle and low-income countries. This is a motivated group of participants who, after a thorough selection process, have participated in the first face-to-face meeting in San Diego and are now following monthly eLearning courses on important topics such as the WHO, U.N. ECOSOC, patient issues, and neuroethical aspects.
The final face-to-face course will be at the WCN in Seoul, South Korea, and all participants will present their projects and will graduate during the Congress’s Opening Ceremony. We look forward to these important events.
The future effects of advocacy work for the WFN needs time to evolve. However, the AAN’s Palatucci Advocacy Leadership events have been visited by more than 600 people over two years, and many key people worldwide have attended and immensely profited.
The WFN Training Centers can presently educate three people with a four-year training program and six people with a one-year fellowship in one Mexican and four African centers. To maintain and finance these Training Centers is a great effort of the WFN.
Meeting of the chairs of the WFN Training Centers in May 2025 in Tunis, Tunisia.
A meeting of the African Training Centers took place in May 2025 in Tunis, Tunisia. We discussed the present state of the Training Centers. Although we are aware that our contribution cannot solve the neurology manpower problem by itself, it seems that an increasing number of universities in Africa are taking up neurology. This may be a kind of crystallizing effect of the WFN centers. The African Academy of Neurology (AFAN) committee members proposed to study possible partnerships and courses that could be attended by residents.
Looking critically at education, the WFN — as a society of neurologists — focuses on neurologists and neurology units. Because of the vastness of Africa and its needs, we will also need to concentrate on implementing neurology into primary care. Although this will require changes of paradigms, it will be important for the future. Approaching patients, people with lived experience, and laypersons first will be a successful concept for future neurology and brain health.
We hope your delegate will be able to participate in the WFN Extraordinary General Meeting on July 1. We have a number of projects worldwide and would be happy to expand if new resources can be recruited. •
