Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are fundamental human values and a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world.
Providing every human being with equal access to education, health care, decent work, technology, and equal representation in political, social, cultural, and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies, ensure healthy lives, promote well-being, and benefit societies and humanity at large.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are part of goals # 3, 5, 10 of the United Nations “Sustainable Development Goals” programme.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the WFSA
The under-representation of female anaesthesiologists in decision-making and governance bodies worldwide was the main concern of the Gender Balance Ad Hoc Committee launched by the WFSA in 2018.
This committee succeeded in increasing the awareness of gender inequality, which resulted in raising the female representation in the WFSA bodies from 29% in 2016 to 43% in 2020, and the proportion of female speakers to WCA from 14% in 2016 to over 39% in 2021.
An increasing number of Member Societies have also launched their own local Gender Balance or DEI Committees.
WFSA encourages fair and equitable delivery of safe healthcare across populations, values diversity among individuals and within Member Societies, and strives for inclusiveness within the organization and its membership.
Acknowledging that there is still a long way to go in order to achieve broader DEI implementation in anaesthesiology, the WFSA Board approved the name change and transformation of the ad hoc committee into a permanent DEI Committee in December 2021.
The aims of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee are:
To create global awareness of the importance and impact of DEI in Anesthesiology and to develop strategies for bridging the gap and promoting more DEI in our profession.
To evaluate the DEI status within the WFSA and in Anesthesiology organizations/departments and the factors that may influence or hinder DEI implementation in these organizations.
To encourage DEI among the WFSA workforce and volunteers and to eliminate discrimination on any basis in employment practices, policies, and procedures.
Committee members:
| Chair | |
| Fauzia Anis Khan | Pakistan |
| Deputy Chair | |
| Christina Lundgren | South Africa |
| Africa | |
| Hazel Mumphansha | Zambia |
| Bisola Onajin-Obembe | Nigeria |
| Rachael Wanjiru Kimani | Kenya |
| Asia | |
| K Sailaja | India |
| Yingwei Wang | China |
| Seokyung Shin | Korea |
| Aus, NZ, Pacific Islands | |
| David Pescod | Australia |
| Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands | |
| Verónica Varas | Chile |
| Luis Antônio Diego | Brazil |
| Karolyna Blanco Ferreira | Colombia |
| Middle East | |
| Patricia Yazbeck | Lebanon |
| Europe | |
| Vojislava Neskovic | Serbia |
| North America | |
| Gregory Manning | Canada |
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