Welcome to the World Federation of Neurology website.

The months of October and November have been busy. The highlight was the first hybrid Council of Delegates (CoD) meeting in Amsterdam on October 25th. Reports on the activities of WFN were given as were formal reports from the WFN Officers. The election results were announced. It is my pleasure to congratulate Dr Steven Lewis as Secretary General and Dr Chandrashekhar Meshram as Elected Trustee on their elections.

The Trustees decided to reappoint Dr Riadh Gouider and Dr Marco Medina as for a further term WFN Co-opted Trustees until the next CoD meeting– which means that the board of trustees remains with the same composition as we advance in the next year, giving the WFN a critical mass of experience and continuity. I am glad that the composition of the Board of Trustees reflects all regions of the world.

Following the unanimous adoption of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and other Neurological Disorders (IGAP) by WHO's 75th World Health Assembly, the WFN is collaboratively working with the WHO and others to raise awareness and foster implementation of IGAP worldwide.

IGAP will inspire a decade of action to achieve the highest possible level of health, well-being, and opportunities for people with neurological disorders, particularly high-burden conditions such as epilepsy, stroke, dementia, meningitis, migraine, as well as birth-related and other brain injuries.

IGAP should ensure that by 2031:

• 100% of countries have an awareness campaign or advocacy programme and replace any legislation that discriminates against people with neurological disorders
• 80% of countries have an intersectoral programme for brain health promotion and prevention
• 75% of countries include neurological disorders in Universal Health Coverage,
• 80% of people with neurological conditions have access to essential treatment,
• 100% increase in global investment in research and innovation to improve diagnosis, treatment and care, rehabilitation, palliative care, and prevention for neurological disorders

The WFN is working closely with partner organisations such as the ILEA on a series of webinars targeting neurologists so that neurologists are better equipped to advocate for including more neurology in national health policies.

The WFN is also collaborating with the WHO on a toolkit to provide a rationale and framework for an integrated approach to neurological disorders that will be accompanied by practical, step-by-step modules to support the implementation of IGAP.

The momentum from IGAP offers neurology a unique opportunity to be positioned more prominently worldwide and address neurological needs.

The WFN has been granted Special Consultative Status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which provides WFN with more top-level access, giving neurology a stronger voice. WFN will have its first face-to-face meeting at the UN in New York City in December. We are excited to learn more about how WFN can contribute to UN efforts in the coming weeks and months.

The preparations for the World Congress of Neurology (WCN) in Montreal, Canada are well underway. We have an exciting group of speakers lined up and are working on new, interactive ways of making WCN even more educational and stimulating to attend. For the first time, we will have sessions organised by young neurologists and also plan a " patient platform" to learn more about patient needs and make the patient's voice regarding neurology and brain health more audible.

Preparing the WCN is an enormous undertaking, and I thank the WCN organising committees for their work.

The coming year, 2023, will not only be the year of the next World Congress; all other WFN activities as education, department visits, training centres and e-Learning Days with the African Academy of Neurology and those with the International Headache Society will continue. Plans to expand some of these activities to Asia are also in place for 2023.

I also want to send everyone best wishes and season's greetings. I am looking forward to working on a productive year for neurology in 2023.