Due to the circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIP Council voted at an Extraordinary Council Meeting last week that the current FIP president and immediate past president shall serve for an additional year, with their terms of office ending in 2023.

“I am pleased and proud to serve for an extra year so that our federation and profession can benefit from a continuity of leadership that is vital for optimal success at a time of such challenges and uncertainty. I thank the council for its trust in me,” said FIP president Dominique Jordan. An amendment to the FIP Statutes to enable this emergency measure was previously agreed by the council at an extraordinary meeting held in November 2020. The statutes now state that the terms of office of the FIP president and the immediate past president may be extended in exceptional cases and uncertainties regarding the continuity of FIP due to global crises, such as wars and pandemics, for a minimum of one year and no longer than four years. At the same extraordinary council meeting in November, the FIP Council also voted for the following amendments to the FIP statutes:

• That the wording should be gender neutral.
• That the mission of FIP would be updated to reflect FIP’s Strategic Plan (adopted by the Council in 2019) as follows: “Our mission is to support global health by enabling the advancement of pharmaceutical practice, sciences and education.”
• That the statutes would provide a process, through a new article, by which leadership of FIP could continue if the FIP president, board or FIP Education chairs, or secretaries should be absent from their duties (e.g. due to ill health or death).

The revised statutes are available here.