Dear AOFOG colleagues and friends,

It’s time to finally meet again!

I’m very proud to officially announce the 28th Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Congress (AOFOG 2024 Congress) which is scheduled on 16th -20th May 2024 in Busan, South Korea, under the theme "Quantum Leap for Women’s Health in Asia Oceania.”

As AOFOG president, I feel that it is my responsibility to actively promote reproductive health in Asia and Oceania and to represent our long-recognized obstetrics and gynecology federation as a dedicated organization to support the advancement of women’s health care through continuing medical education, practice, and research. AOFOG Congress therefore serves as a vibrant platform for us, OBGYN professionals in Asia and Oceania, to meet, learn from, and exchange among each other.

This Congress will cover many important sexual and reproductive health and right issues. Two specific issues that I would like to emphasize are accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer and preventing violence against women and girls. Both key concepts are aligned with WHO’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescent’s Health.

For cervical cancer elimination, we have set goal to reach an incidence rate of less than 4 cases per 100,000 women through the WHO recommended strategies including: 1) 90% coverage of HPV vaccination of girls (by 15 years of age), 2) 70% coverage of screening (70% of women are screened with high-performance tests by the ages of 35 and 45 years) and 3) 90% treatment of precancerous lesions and management of 90% of invasive cancer cases.

Regarding violence against women, I would like to urge our collaboration to address this problem which is a major public health problem and a violation of women and girls' human rights. Globally, about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual violated in their lifetime and most of this violence is caused by intimate partner. Our vital role is to provide comprehensive health care to women subjected to violence and serve as an entry point for referring women to other support services they may need.

Additionally, the other two major concerns, reducing unnecessary caesarean sections and raising awareness of climate change, need to also be highlighted still. These two issues are also WHO’s and FIGO’s priorities. As widely known, caesarean section rates have increased steadily worldwide over the last decades and this trend has not been accompanied by significant maternal or perinatal benefits. In fact, it increases short-term and long-term complications to both mothers and babies. And for climate change, needless to explicate further, we all have directly experienced the impacts on health by worsening air and water quality, increasing the spread of certain diseases, and altering the frequency or intensity of extreme weather events. All these urgent concerns need our actions now.

The year 2024 is also a very important year for AOFOG as our AOFOG official journal, The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, will reach its 50th volume in 2024. I would like to sincerely thank all the Editors-in-chief, editors, reviewers, contributors, and supporters for making our JOGR up to this stage. I think we should have a session to commemorate the publication of the JOGR 50th Volume during the AOFOG 2024 Congress in Busan

Together with our most active and supportive AOFOG Congress committee, we work hard to provide you the platform with invaluable information regarding the health advancement in the next decade and reach out a special hand to distinguished and aspiring young professionals, to attend the Congress for possible future collaborations which could make a change in our profession.

I strongly believe that the up-to-date, evidence-based knowledge and skills that we will provide you during the 28th Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Congress (AOFOG 2024 Congress) will accommodate you in a better position to fight with all the challenges to make our women’s health in Asia Oceania in the next decade better.

When we’re chasing down some goals, every step, no matter how big or small, counts.

I look forward to seeing you in Busan, 16^th to 20^th May 2024.

Warmest wishes,

Professor. Dr. Pisake Lumbiganon, MD, MS (Penn), FRCOG (ad eundem)
AOFOG President