Just months after announcing its 2026-2030 Strategic and Operational Plan, IASP demonstrated meaningful progress toward its strategic goals through its engagement at the 79th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization. There, IASP put its strategic plan into action by convening researchers, clinicians, advocates, government leaders, and global health organizations around a shared goal: elevating pain as a global health priority.
A delegation of IASP leaders, members, and staff – many of whom funded their own travel – represented the organization as the essential global voice for understanding and treating pain. By engaging with Ministers of Health, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector representatives, delegates advanced each of IASP’s four strategic goals: serving as the global voice for understanding and treating pain, supporting research, catalyzing knowledge exchange, and building partnerships across regions and disciplines.
Guided by briefings before the trip that included IASP’s President, Andrew Rice (UK), and President-Elect, Mary Cardosa (Malaysia), efforts on the ground were led by IASP’s Global Advocacy Working Group co-chairs Allen Finley (Canada) and Romy Parker (South Africa), along with IASP WHO Liaison Rikard Wicksell (Sweden). Also participating were Michael Falcon (US), Co-chair of IASP’s Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy, Huda Abu-Saad Huijer (Lebanon), Damien Finnis (Australia), and Antonia Barke (Germany). Delegates attended numerous official and unofficial events, raising the visibility of pain within the global public health agenda, strengthening relationships with WHO representatives and member states, and identifying opportunities for future collaboration.
A highlight of the week was the side event, “Pain in Global Health: Strengthening Coordinated Action for Equitable Access to Effective Pain Care,” hosted by IASP and cosponsored by four WHO member states –
Lebanon, Panama, Sri Lanka, and Thailand – along with two WHO networks and 10 cosponsoring organizations. Beyond showcasing broad collaboration, the event demonstrated IASP’s growing ability to bring together governments, WHO officials, researchers, clinicians, advocates, and people with lived experience to advance pain as a public health priority.
The event brought together approximately 80 attendees to explore how pain cuts across diseases, programs, and care settings. Especially exciting were the remarks made by Dr. Nutthapong Wongwiwat, Director-General of the Department of Medical Services at the Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana, Director – Planning, Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka, and Dr. Huda Abu-Saad Huijer, who was also at WHA as a representative from the Lebanese Delegation. In addition, the session included insights from multiple World Health Organization representatives, people with lived experiences, pain researchers, and pain care providers from the UK, Nepal, and Ukraine.
The session concluded with a question posed by IASP CEO Steve Gardner and Rikard Wicksell that underscored this was the beginning, not the end, of the conversation: How can the WHO work with partner organizations to improve equitable, global access to effective pain care?
The discussion continued well beyond the formal program, reflecting a shared commitment to improving the lives of people living with acute and chronic pain worldwide—and underscoring that this dialogue is only beginning.
Engagement at the WHA is just one example of how IASP is advancing its Strategic and Operational Plan and strengthening its role as a leader in global pain advocacy. IASP is growing advocacy throughout the organization through the “It Takes Advocacy! Implementing Global Access to Multidisciplinary Care” topical workshop at the 2026 World Congress and through recruitment for open seats on the Global Advocacy Working Group for the upcoming governance cycle.
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