"Securing and safeguarding children's health all over the world."

About 5.500 pediatricians and medical doctors of various specialties dealing with child health attended one of the biggest scientific congresses, the 25th International Congress of Paediatrics, hosted in Athens, Greece from the 25th until the 30th of August 2007, at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.

The Congress is the flagship event of the International Pediatric Association (IPA) and is organized every 3 years at a different continent. The 25th International Congress of Pediatrics
was hosted by the Greek Pediatric Society and held under the Auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, the Greek Minister of Health and Social Solidarity and the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"The organization of the ICP2007 is a great honor for our country, Greece" stated the President of the Organizing Committee of the 25th International Congress of Paediatrics, Prof. Andreas Constantopoulos.

"The aim of this year's congress", he continued, "is, apart from the announcement of new scientific results and outcomes, to motivate the global community for securing and safeguarding children's health all over the world."

In the framework of the congress an International Committee under the title "Social Initiative" has been introduced consisting of experts and prominent personalities. The Social Initiative Committee discussed two of the major social issues: "AIDS Orphans and Violence on Children". Members of the social initiative committee included UNICEF officials, world known academics as well as journalists from BBC, Al-Jazzera and The Guardian Newspaper.

Among the congress highlights were the state-of-the-art sessions with paediatric subspecialties, the "Meet the Editors" session which brought together editors of the biggest and most prestigious scientific publications on pediatrics and the "Meet the Media" symposium which featured journalists from international media discussing, among other topics, the impact of television on children's lives.

The Congress in numbers:

• 4.346 pre-registered delegates
• 1.094 accepted poster presentations
• 317 accepted oral presentations
• 241 invited speakers
• 54 symposia
• 17 plenary lectures
• 6 days program
• 6 years of preparation
• 3 years of intensive promotion

It all started in Beijing in 2001.
A few months prior to the 23rd ICP (2001), C&C International began lobbying with national pediatric societies, on behalf of the Greek Pediatric Society, in order to announce and promote the Society's decision to bid for the 25th ICP (2007).
A Greek delegation consisting of 7 members visited the 23rd ICP (2001) in Beijing for the official presentation of the Athens organisation. Promotional activities included the hosting of a promotional booth where informative material was shared. C&C representatives of the Greek delegation remembered that their celebrations over "winning" the 2007 bid for Athens were shadowed by the tremendous terrorist events of September 11th, 2001.

Brief Information on the International Paediatric Association
The International Pediatric Association (IPA) was formed in Paris in 1910 by a group of European pediatricians who assembled for the First International Congress of Pediatrics in 1912. Over the years, the IPA has evolved into a non-governmental organization with a membership of 144 National Pediatric Societies from 139 countries, 10 Regional Pediatric Societies representing all areas of the world, and 11 International Pediatric Specialty Societies including the International Pediatric Chairs Association and the World Federation of Associations of Pediatric Surgeons.
The IPA is working to mobilize its extensive network of pediatricians for advocacy and programs in child health, working whenever possible with UN agencies and with other global organizations.
To read more about IPA you may visit http://www.ipa-world.org/Pages/home.aspx