World Health Organization (WHO)

IOF enjoys a long-standing, fruitful working relationship with WHO on issues of importance in osteoporosis. This relationship is being strengthened through IOF’s application for official relations with the organization.

In spring 1999, a Round Table article by IOF, “Strong bones in later life: luxury or necessity” appeared in the “WHO Bulletin”, and a news feature with Dr. Brundtland, was distributed via the IOF News Service to member societies. A major publication, “WHO Global Strategy on Osteoporosis” is in preparation for launch on the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October 1999. The Day is being co-sponsored by WHO and IOF for the second time.

Mutual participation of the two organizations in other events includes IOF member involvement in WHO’s Active Ageing Initiative and WHO participation in the 5th Worldwide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies.

Osteoporosis was formally identified as a disease by a group of WHO experts in 1994 resulting in publication of “Assessment of Fracture Risk and its Application to Screening for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis” (WHO Technical Report Series 843). IOF provided technical and financial support to the study. About two-thirds of the WHO group of experts involved in the Report were IOF Board and Committee members.

The recent WHO publication “Guidelines for Preclinical Evaluation and Clinical Trials in Osteoporosis” (Geneva, 1998) received technical and financial assistance from IOF. As a global intergovernmental health organization, WHO has given invaluable support through its involvement in major IOF events and meetings:

WHO supported the launch of the “Report on Osteoporosis in the European Community - Action for Prevention”, organized the translation of the press packs into Chinese and Russian and disseminated the materials to over 60 regional and national WHO

At the International Congress on Osteoporosis in Berlin, Dr. André Prost, Director of WHO’s Division of Non-communicable Diseases, announced that osteoporosis must be considered as a priority public health issue. Dr. Prost and his colleague Dr. Nikolai Khaltaev, Team Coordinator, Division of Non-communicable Diseases, also participated in the 4th Worldwide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies and Public Education Day, held in parallel with the Scientific Congress in Berlin.