The history of the International Pediatric Association is the history of pediatrics that goes back 112 years old considering its official establishment in Paris in 1910, by Victor Henri Hutniel. IPA is the only umbrella organization with a membership of 164 National Pediatric Societies from 149 countries representing more than one million Pediatricians. Being a part of IPA since 2007 to being the first Indian President of IPA, I extend my support to achieve the aim of finding pragmatic global solutions for the well-being of all to manifest the true spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘The World is One Family’.

During my journey with IPA, I have worked with Drs. Chok Wan Chan, Sergio Cabral, Zulfiqar Bhutta, Errol Alden, Enver Hasanoglu and many others have mentored and supported me over the years in this role. The theme for IPA tenure is “Reaching Every Child”.  The approach will be to reach one million pediatricians in order to reach every child i.e., 2 billion.  The vision is to have all the one million pediatricians of IPA connected by having member societies in every country to reach every pediatrician.

IPA’s action plan for the term 2023-25 is based on guiding principles of capacity building of the pediatric workforce, dissemination of the right information and Advocacy for best practices. Empowering the pediatric workforce will be an essential element in promoting Child Health. It is vital to ensure all childcare providers adhere to the same guidelines. During my tenure, I look forward to promoting equality, diversity & inclusion in IPA’s leadership. I wish to encourage participation from every member of society and achieve excellence in governance and operations. IPA Digital Academy and automation would be key towards the digitalisation journey.

We cannot sit back and relax when over 6,400 children below the age of 1 year are dying every day. The Time to Act is Now!  We have to do what we should do! I have dedicated my time fully to IPA and am keen to prioritise child and adolescent health in achieving global goals.

A detailed plan of my vision during my tenure has been released as the Call to Action plan for 2023-25 where my focus is on the entire life course from childbirth to late adolescents along with the cross-cutting areas of Immunization, Environment & Climate Change, Early Child Development, Humanitarian and children in crisis settings, Quality of care of every child everywhere.  

Best Regards

Dr Naveen Thacker
President,
International Pediatric Association