WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2020 MESSAGE FROM THE WMA PRESIDENT 2020 will be a year forever linked to the COVID- 19 pandemic. That makes no difference to the WMA. My thoughts are with those who lost their lives during the pandemic, and with their families and friends. Many doctors are among them, many who jumped to care for the ill even when lacking personal protective equipment. The pandemic has taught us about our vulnerability, especially those of us who live in countries with high performing health care systems. It will be our task over the coming year(s) to reflect on the lessons from the COVID- With the WMA Council and General Assembly 19 pandemic and to become better prepared. discussing and either revising or newly This was not the first pandemic, and it will not creating numerous policies, we continued our be the last. work despite being unable to meet in person. The global structure of the WMA led us early on The pandemic has emphasized some to rely on telecommunications, distributed concerns we have expressed before: Our working and cloud computing. When the statements that austerity measures cutting government ordered the closure of offices and investment in health care would result in requested business to switch to telework, it did damage to health became an awful reality. not cause us disruption. However, from the The need we had stressed for pandemic and middle of March 2020, all our in-person disaster preparedness had been understood meetings were cancelled or converted to online in only a few countries, while most others sessions; discussions moved to video were hit by the pandemic unprepared. Our conferences and we voted electronically. Online engagement for Universal Health Coverage meetings have proven to be a viable tool for our turned out to be more necessary than ever. international cooperation, but they are not a perfect substitute for in-person meetings and The WMA stays vigilant in our efforts to enable communication. Working together access to high-quality health care for all internationally is about more than just people. We focus on improving the Social exchanging and debating documents. It is also Determinants of Health, including better living about mutual understanding, gaining respect and working conditions, better nutrition and for one other, and often making friendships education, and protecting our environment to across the borders which otherwise separate us. reduce health damages from climate change For this, personal contact is essential. and pollution. We continue to advocate for While the pandemic influenced our work from the profession's independence and autonomy January 2020 onwards, and we were often and for its organizations, and for safeguarding dealing with questions around it, our "regular" human rights in health. work had to continue. The revision of policies, the creation of new guidance, had to be kept on The pandemic has not stopped us. We work the agenda. differently from how we did last year, but no From our core policies like the International less effectively and no less visibly – and yet we Code of Medical Ethics, to the new frontiers of hope some normality will return in the technology, like augmented intelligence, we months ahead. have continued to sharpen our profile and strengthen our guidance giving and orientation. D R . D A V I D B A R B E In October, we held a multi-lingual virtual WMA President General Assembly, originally planned as an in- person meeting in Cordoba, Spain. P A G E 0 1 | P O L I C I E S W M A 2 0 2 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T Policies adopted at the General Assembly 2020 - Cordoba (online) W M A D e c l a r a t i o n o f C o r d o b a o n P a t i e n t - P h y s i c i a n R e l a t i o n s h i p W M A D e c l a r a t i o n o f O s l o o n S o c i a l D e t e r m i n a n t s o f H e a l t h ( r e v i s e d ) W M A D e c l a r a t i o n o f O t t a w a o n C h i l d H e a l t h ( r e v i s e d ) W M A D e c l a r a t i o n o n P s e u d o s c i e n c e a n d P s e u d o t h e r a p i e s i n t h e F i e l d o f H e a l t h W M A S t a t e m e n t c o n c e r n i n g t h e R e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n P h y s i c i a n s a n d C o m m e r c i a l E n t e r p r i s e s ( r e v i s e d ) W M A S t a t e m e n t o n G e n e - E d i t i n g W M A S t a t e m e n t o n H y p e r t e n s i o n a n d C a r d i o v a s c u l a r D i s e a s e W M A S t a t e m e n t o n P h y s i c i a n s ’ R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s i n P r e v e n t i n g a n d C o m b a t i n g T r a n s p l a n t r e l a t e d C r i m e s W M A S t a t e m e n t o n S t e m C e l l R e s e a r c h ( r e v i s e d ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n i n s u p p o r t o f a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l D a y o f t h e M e d i c a l P r o f e s s i o n , O c t o b e r 3 0 W M A R e s o l u t i o n i n S u p p o r t o f D r S e r d a r K ü n i ( r e a f f i r m e d a s a R e s o l u t i o n ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n i n s u p p o r t t o t h e T u r k i s h M e d i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n E q u i t a b l e G l o b a l D i s t r i b u t i o n o f C O V I D - 1 9 V a c c i n e W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n H u m a n R i g h t s V i o l a t i o n s a g a i n s t U i g h u r p e o p l e i n C h i n a W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n P r o t e c t i n g t h e F u t u r e G e n e r a t i o n ’ s R i g h t t o L i v e i n a H e a l t h y E n v i r o n m e n t W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n t h e A c c e s s t o A d e q u a t e P a i n T r e a t m e n t ( r e v i s e d ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n t h e R e s p o n s i b i l i t y o f P h y s i c i a n s i n t h e D o c u m e n t a t i o n a n d D e n o u n c i n g A c t s o f T o r t u r e a n d I l l - t r e a t m e n t ( r e v i s e d ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n V i o l e n c e a g a i n s t W o m e n a n d G i r l s ( r e v i s e d ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n r e g a r d i n g t h e M e d i c a l P r o f e s s i o n a n d C O V I D - 1 9 Policies reaffirmed by the 215th Council Session W M A S t a t e m e n t o n F r e e d o m t o A t t e n d M e d i c a l M e e t i n g s ( w i t h m i n o r r e v i s i o n ) W M A S t a t e m e n t o n t h e R e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n P h y s i c i a n s a n d P h a r m a c i s t s i n M e d i c i n a l T h e r a p y ( w i t h m i n o r r e v i s i o n ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n D r u g P r e s c r i p t i o n ( w i t h m i n o r r e v i s i o n ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n t h e D e s i g n a t i o n o f a n A n n u a l M e d i c a l E t h i c s D a y W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n t h e H e a l t h c a r e S i t u a t i o n i n S y r i a ( w i t h m i n o r r e v i s i o n ) W M A R e s o l u t i o n o n t h e P r o h i b i t i o n o f C h e m i c a l W e a p o n s ( w i t h m i n o r r e v i s i o n ) P A G E 0 2 | E V E N T S W M A 2 0 2 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T General Assembly 2020 - Cordoba (online) The WMA’s 71st annual General Assembly was due to be held in Cordoba, Spain to mark the 100th anniversary of the Spanish Medical Association.