Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine.
Mamoru Tanaka, MD
FAOPS2023 was successfully held and concluded at Keio Plaza Hotel on October 7-9, 2023 (Figure 1). Thanks to the support of all the participants, more than 600 people attended the event (Table 1).
| Country | Number of participants |
|---|---|
| Japan | 291 |
| Philippines | 117 |
| Korea | 76 |
| Taiwan | 17 |
| Bangladesh | 16 |
| Mongolia | 14 |
| Australia | 11 |
| Indonesia | 9 |
| Thailand | 9 |
| Malaysia | 8 |
| Singapore | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 4 |
| India | 3 |
| Cambodia | 3 |
| Myanmar | 3 |
| China | 3 |
| United Kingdom | 2 |
| Sri Lanka | 2 |
| Nepal | 2 |
| Tanzania | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Turkey | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Total | 602 |
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Perinatal Society and the Japan Society of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine for their cooperation and support.
At the opening ceremony, we were honored to receive words from Her Imperial Highness Princess Akishino (Figure 2 and Appendix 1). The opening ceremony was followed by the Keynote Lecture: The health and well-being of mothers and newborns beyond Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by Dr. Yasuhide Nakamura under the chairmanship of Dr. Masao Nakabayashi, followed by Workshop 1 “Maternal and Child Health Handbook” (Figure 3-1, 3-2).
FAOPS was established in 1978 to improve and develop perinatal care in the Asia-Oceania region, and the Japan Society of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine has contributed much to the development of FAOPS. This will be the third time for FAOPS to hold an academic meeting in Japan. The FAOPS Tokyo was originally scheduled to take place in 2020. The 2020 meeting was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. After that, the FAOPS members made the decision to hold the conference in Tokyo, postponing it to 2023. It has been five years since the last actual FAOPS 2018 meeting in Manila (Figure 4, 5).
Perinatology is the medical science that supports both mother and child in safely and securely surviving the major event of childbirth. It is responsible for the most important and fundamental medical care for human beings. There are Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in 2015. I have chosen the SDGs as the main theme of this scientific meeting. The third of these goals is to ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being of all people of all ages. There is also the 17th, to strengthen the means of implementation for sustainable development and to revitalize the global partnership. I believe that the development of perinatology research and the extension of knowledge is essential for the sustainable well-being of the people of Asia and Oceania. SDGs will be achieved by bringing together people from all over the world at this annual meeting of the Asia-Oceania Society of Perinatal Medicine.
The meeting was a great success. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the participants of this meeting.
An Address by Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Akishino at the Opening Ceremony of the 22nd Congress of the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies
October 7,2023
Distinguished guests and participants,
It is my great pleasure to be with you today, at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Congress of the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies.
The Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies (FAOPS) was founded in 1978 and has become an important forum for obstetricians, neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists, midwives, nurses and healthcare professionals engaged in perinatal care in Asia and Oceania to come together to share your efforts and research outcomes, and to discuss the challenges of perinatal care. I would like to express my sincere respect to everyone involved in this important field for your great efforts to protect the lives and health of mothers and their babies even in the difficult situation of the COVID-19 outbreak. And I would also like to deeply appreciate all those who have worked hard on the preparation and operation of this congress, which is being held face to face for the first time in five years.
The main theme of this congress is “the SDGs for maternal and neonatal health across the Asia-Oceanian region”. In order to achieve the SDGs' goal of "leaving no one behind" in perinatal health care, countries in Asia and Oceania have to cooperate to solve many challenges. And Japan, as the host country, will have a significant role to play.
Social and economic stability, as well as physical and mental health, are important factors for women to have and raise children without any concerns. Some countries in Asia and Oceania, however, have high perinatal and maternal mortality rates, while others have lower mortality rates but have more children and mothers requiring medical care. Depending on the needs of women in these various social circumstances, the demands on perinatal care have become more diverse than ever. In recent years, many issues are gaining importance, including pre-conception care for women and their partners, psychological support for parents and families of children who have lost their lives, psychological care for expectant and nursing mothers under stress, and continuous support for mothers and children.
