89 years have passed since the first IPA Congress in Paris in 1912.89 years ago this congress had 100 participants. This year in Beijing we will welcome between three to four thousand participants to our 23 rd International Congress.
The IPA has built on its modest beginnings of 1912 to become an international organization which now includes as members some 150 national pediatric societies, the regional pediatric societies of the world, a growing number of pediatric subspecialty societies, and the pediatricchairmen’s group. And in the future, we hope also to establish a close relationship with international pediatric

 nurses and international pediatric residents. Indeed, the IPA has become a worldwide network of hundreds of thousands of pediatricians in countries and communtities all over the world.

In 1912 the first congress program presented a number of problems of child health including nutrition, anemia , polio , quarantines for controlling infectious disease, and healthful air ventilation. Since then, we  have learned how to control infectious diseases with immunizations and antibiotics , and we have eradicated small pox and are on the road to eradicating polio worldwide. Our 23 rd congress program still addresses some of the same issues , however , including prevention of infections , nutrition , and air pollution , along with a rich variety of other topics pertinent to child health in 2001.

We have made great strides  in child health since 1912, but we must realize that there are still many problems for many children of the world:
Poverty, disadvantage, ill health, violence, and dim futures. Many children are still plagued by chronic diseases which we do not fully understand. And it has become glaringly apparent that social and psychological issues are also vital aspects of child health.

We pediatricians are fortunate to be members of an honorable profession which offers the constant opportunity to improve the lives of children. At the start of this new Millennium, the IPA is well placed to contribute greatly to addressing important issues of child health, pediatricans working all together for health in its broadest sense for children everywhere. I look forward to working with each and every one of you over the next three years as we continue the IPA journey along the road of good health and bright futures for all of our children. I encourage all of our member societies and pediatricans they represent to contact us of the IPA with your ideas, questions, problems, and suggestions. Working together, we can make a difference.


The 24th Congress of IPA will be held in Cancun Mexico, Mexico in the year 2004.

Formalities
It is necessary to check with your Mexican Embassy if you need visa to enter Mexico

Languages
The official language of the Congress is Spanish, English, French.

Venue:
 International Center of Congress

Contacts:
Tel: 55 38 04 37

BULLETIN
September 12, 2001


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