The expected benefits of a 30th world congress in Paris
The executive committee of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) met
on 12th January in Montreal and retained Paris along with Toronto as finalists
for organizing the 30th World Hemophilia Congress in 2012.
The final choice between the two cities will be made on 6th June in Istanbul
during the WFH Annual General Assembly attended by its 109 member countries.
France has not organized a world congress since 1965 and would be honored
to host this event once again in 2012.
We sincerely believe in France's candidacy. First of all because our association
has always been very close to the WFH: the founder of the French Hemophilia
Society (AFH), Henri Chaigneau, was also cofounder and later vice-president
of the World Federation for many years. In addition, over and above being
an independent, dynamic and professional association, the AFH also has
a strong level of collaboration between patients, healthcare professionals
and public authorities. This solidarity is a fundamental element for hosting
such an event. Finally, the French scientific community offers an internationally
recognized level of expertise.
The future benefits from a congress in Paris would be felt by all. Firstly
for the WFH, which could reinvest any surplus into programs for improving
diagnosis and treatment for hemophilia patients in developing countries.
The AFH would also benefit through an opportunity to strengthen the partnerships
which have been made in Laos and several Mediterranean countries since
2003 and also initiate new projects: 100% of the profits from the congress
will be integrated into the existing budgets for medical and associative
partnerships and international programs. The WFH recognizes the expertise
of French medical teams and the AFH in the international partnership sector:
indeed, out of the 40 partnerships identified by the WFH, two programs
have been given awards this year and these were both from French centres:
Montpellier-Damas (Syria) and Brest-Vientian (Laos). Five other international
partnerships are currently ongoing. In order to establish a competitive
budget, the AFH has made significant efforts to secure solid support from
all sectors and reduce costs to a minimum. To date, the AFH has secured
over 70% of the total cost of financing the Paris Congress Centre. The
results achieved today make the Parisian candidacy a truly attractive
option, not to mention the incomparable aura that our capital city adds
to any congress, indeed Paris hosts 20% more congress goers than any other
city in the world. This reality - that of the city of the Eiffel Tower,
the world's most frequently visited monument, Versailles, the Louvre,
Montmartre, Edith Piaf and the Champs-Elysées - should also be
taken into account for 2012.
If the AFH and the French medical teams are given the honor of organizing
the 2012 congress in Paris, this congress will be your congress: every
NMO country can take part. Indeed, the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs
will directly and personally handle all visa applications.
We look forward to seeing you in Istanbul.
Yours faithfully,
Norbert Ferré
President of the French Hemophilia Society