The WHO/FIGO Alliance for Women's Health

Abstract

The WHOyFIGO Alliance for Women’s Health started with a meeting of minds in San Francisco in 1982. Convening a joint workshop before the triennial World Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was a long-standing tradition for the collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and FIGO. The topic for the PreCongress Workshop held in San Francisco was Maternal and Child Health, including family planning, in primary health care. Participants from WHO and from FIGO felt the need to continue their collaboration between Congresses. The need was elaborated into a proposal to establish a joint WHOyFIGO Task Force to work on issues of mutual interest and concern. The proposal was enthusiastically endorsed by the FIGO Executive Board. A small Task Force with joint membership from the two organizations was constituted, with a co-chair from WHO and a co-chair from FIGO. The late Dr Angele Petros-Barvasian, then Director of the WHO Division on Family Health, was the WHO co-chair. Her continued support to the Task Force over the years is remembered and gratefully acknowledged. Dr Leila Mehra, officer in the Division of Family health, was directly responsible for the coordination of activities of the Task Force. On the FIGO side, the membership was limited to a member from each continent: M.F. Fathalla (Africa), the late Shan