The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed the ‘Official Relations’ status of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) for a further three-year term, from 2025 to 2027.
The renewal was confirmed during the 156th session of the WHO Executive Board in February 2025. Moving forward, the ILDS will implement a structured three-year plan aligned with WHO’s strategic priorities, reinforcing its commitment to improving skin health worldwide.
The only dermatology-focused organisation to have this status, the ILDS comprises more than 200 member societies from 104 countries, representing more than 200,000 dermatologists globally. In collaboration with its charitable foundation, the International Foundation for Dermatology (IFD), the ILDS delivers a range of initiatives to expand access to dermatological care. These include grant programmes, awards, training, and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing the burden of skin diseases, particularly in underserved regions.
Official Relations status is granted by the WHO’s Executive Board to non-governmental organisations, international bodies, and other non-state actors that have consistently contributed to advancing public health goals through sustained and effective collaboration with the WHO. It allows the ILDS to support the WHO in specific areas of public health and engage in key WHO meetings, including the annual World Health Assembly, where global health policies and strategies are shaped.
“Since the ILDS was first granted Official Relations Status with the WHO, we have collaborated in a range of key areas including the eleventh revision of the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11); its Model Lists of Essential Medicines and in its work to tackle Neglected Tropical Disease, Non-Communicable Diseases and Occupational Diseases,” says Professor Lars French, Past President of the ILDS and Chair of the society’s WHO Committee (pictured above), in a news release. “We are delighted to be able to continue this work and develop new areas of collaboration.”
Honored by Reaffirmation of Status
Henry Lim, MD, the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI, and ILDS President, adds, “With 3,000 skin diseases affecting more than three billion people at any one time, these diseases are a major contributor to the global disease burden. They can also be life-changing, placing immense strain on affected individuals, healthcare systems, and economic productivity. Addressing them is essential to achieving WHO’s universal health coverage goals.
“We are honoured that the WHO has reaffirmed our Official Relations status, strengthening our ability to advocate for skin health as a global priority. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the WHO and global health leaders to drive meaningful change and improve outcomes for those affected by skin diseases. I commend the ILDS’ WHO Committee, led by Professor French, for its outstanding efforts over the past three years, which have secured the renewal of our Official Relations status.”
