Welcome Message from the Organising Committee Chair Dear Reader, IFMSA’s Pre World Health Assembly, or PreWHA, has become quite famous over the years. Since 2012 we are lucky to have become an event that many WHA-goers are delighted to be invited to, with many returning faces giving talks each year. This is due to the Federation’s hard work at successive WHAs and the culture of sharing experience and wisdom with some of the next generation of global health advocates, diplomats and leaders that so many in the global health field have adopted. Our PreWHA this year had 60 participants from 31 countries, and speakers from across the world and many different disciplines and organisations. The programme - following a new format devised by the IFMSA Liaison Officer to the WHO (LWHO), Charlotte O’Leary - was put together by our three Academic Coordinators and Programme Coordinator to best convey the skills and knowledge required to be successful at the World Health Assembly, all following the three pillars of the IFMSA overarching Global Priorities: Universal Health Coverage, Global Health Education, and Meaningful Youth Participation. You can read more about these three pillars and their sessions in the report. As ever, the PreWHA leads in our commitment to being environmentally friendly wherever possible. Although there were participants from across the world, reductions in the use of all materials, packaging and food was centrepiece in our considerations of procurement. There are many people and organisations to thank and congratulate for their commitment, tireless work and kindness in putting on this year’s PreWHA. Many of them are listed later in this report along with information about their contributions. As Chair I cannot begin to express my gratitude and admiration for this team who organised PreWHA. They have been committed, hard working, kind and always positive and smiling despite being exhausted, making tough decisions and giving up many hundreds of hours for this project. In particular, Charlotte O’Leary, the Programme Coordinator and IFMSA LWHO has been a force of nature. Charlotte has been part of the OC for the last three years and her mastery of the process reflected this. Patient, wise and hard-working beyond what should be expected of a full-time employee (let alone a full time student and IFMSA Official), this event would not have been half as successful without her. Leading this team and meeting the contributors, speakers and participants of PreWHA has been the honour of an IFMSA career. My gratitude for everyone’s enthusiasm and engagement knows no bounds. I hope this introduction sets you in the right frame to appreciate the enormous amount of work and success achieved by my colleagues. Please enjoy reading it and consider being involved next year or in the future. It really is a unique experience. On behalf of the OC, Isaac Florence Chair of the Organising Committee
1