Message from the WFN President

Prof. Dr Wolfgang Grisold

January 2025

Dear Visitors of the WFN Website,
Dear Member Societies,

With this message, I want to wish you a happy and successful new year 2025. I hope your personal health and strength enable you to support neurology worldwide, and that you and your society can actively participate in our activities.

The WFN has several important events this year which I will summarise below.

World Brain Day 2025

The World Brain Day will take place on 22nd July. In keeping with the important theme of brain health, this year the theme is “Brain Health for all Ages" emphasising the importance of maintaining brain health throughout the lifespan. 

The campaign aims to raise awareness about neurological disorders and promote strategies for prevention and care across all age groups.  We are pleased to announce that for this year’s World Brain Day, we will collaborate with global regions and partner with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to advance the topic of brain health.

XXVII World Congress of Neurology 

The WCN 2025 ⧉ is scheduled for October 12–15, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea. Preparations are ongoing to ensure a comprehensive program. In addition to keynote lectures, scientific reports, talks, debates, and poster sessions, we plan to introduce “Global Brain Health” sessions that will address the broader needs of neurology, and focus on regional and global challenges beyond specific diseases.

WFN Elections

2025 marks an important year for elections.  The positions up for election include a new President, replacing Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Grisold; a new Vice President, to replace Prof.Guy Rouleau; and one elected Trustee, which is presently held by Prof. Chandrashekhar Meshram who is eligible for re-election.  In December 2024, a call for nominations was sent out to all member societies.

In preparation for the upcoming elections and due to the relatively short timeline of submissions, we request all societies to note the following deadlines:

• Nomination Submissions: Please submit nominations by February 14, 2025. The Nominating Committee will review these submissions to recommend candidates for the available positions.
• Additional Nominations: Up to 30 days before the start of electronic voting, any individual from a member society, supported by at least five member societies, may apply for a position.
  
  

Voting at the elections will take place in September 2025 by online ballots, and the results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting of the Council of Delegates (COD) in Seoul.

WFN and WHO

The global activities of the WFN are an important part of our work programme, and I want to reiterate the importance of the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan (IGAP) on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders. IGAP is an ongoing activity which started in 2022 and is now coming into its fourth year. It offers huge potential to promote neurology, and we call all delegates and societies to see how they can use the IGAP framework within their local environment. 

Additionally, we remain committed to supporting the WHO's Essential Medicines List ⧉  (EML), implementing the comprehensive mental health action plan 2013–2030 ⧉ , and the global roadmap to defeating Meningitis by 2030 ⧉.

WFN and UN ECOSOC

It is of great honour and great advantage for the World Federation that the United Nations ECOSOC will participate on the World Brain Day this year, and we will be able to promote brain health around the globe.

The United Nations ECOSOC has developed the Sustainable Development Goals ⧉ (SDGs), and we are all aware of the significant impact and success of implementing SDG 3—Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages— in the field of medicine.

Global activities and education

The World Federation has two main objectives. One is our global activities, the other education. We are proud to report that we have visited all African training centres last year, and have a number of global education activities which you may learn more about on our website.

For 2025 we have a major project with the American Academy of Neurology, which is called the Global Advocacy and Leadership project (GALP).  GALP aims to promote advocacy leadership in low and low-middle income countries. We are glad to have selected 20 applicants, who will attend two live meetings in San Diego and Seoul, as well as interim of several virtual training units.

Please follow us on the website, social media, World Neurology.  We also want to make aware that we're sending continuous letters to delegates updating and informing on our activities.

Please also note that we have now a JNS WFN Service Page that reveals the latest developments of the society. We also want to make you aware that the use of the Needs Registry, a free download file, is still available until fall this year.

Looking forward to a successful year 2025, I remain with kind regards.