IFCPC Assembly Meeting

Date and Time

• 2nd Assembly Meeting (in person)
• Location: Richelieu Theater (1st Floor), Palais des Congrès
• 4 June 2026, 5pm

1. Opening of the meeting Dr Jean Luc Mergui (10 min)
   • Welcome
   • Approval of the agenda
   • Approval of the prior meeting minutes (view pdf)
2. Electoral processes Jean Luc Mergui (30 min)
   
   • PRESENTATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATES (8 min)
   • Each candidate for President-Elect will be granted three 3 minutes to present their vision and brief work plan for the future of the Federation:
   • • Dr. Jacob Bornstein
     • Dr. Xavier Carcopino
   • PRESENTATION OF MEMBERS-AT-LARGE CANDIDATES (5 min)
   • The names, countries, and affiliated societies of all candidates for the positions of At-Large Members will be presented to the General Assembly and included on the official ballot.
   • In accordance with the nature of these positions, whose purpose is to ensure broad and balanced international representation within the Federation, no individual presentations will be made by the candidates.\Each society may select up to only four: 4 candidates from the presented list.
   • The four candidates receiving the highest number of valid votes will be declared elected, in accordance with the provisions set forth in the IFCPC Constitution.

   • Candidates for Director/Member at Large (4 vacancies)

     • Mohammed Elazab, Egypt
     • Aruna Nigam, India
     • Yoshimi Tanaka, Japan
     • Deirdre Lyons, United Kingdom
     • Omar Gassama, Senegal
   • PRESENTATION OF BIDS TO HOST THE 2032 WORLD CONGRESS 3RD (10 min)
   • Egypt (5 min)
   • Mexico (5 min)
     
     
   • Selection of Scrutineers: Jean Luc Mergui (3 min)
   • Two scrutineers are requested from the assembly to observe and legitimize the voting.
     
     
   • DISTRIBUTION OF BALLOTS
   • Each voting delegate will receive ballots according to the voting rights established by the IFCPC Constitution.
     
     
   • VOTING PROCESS
   • Delegates shall complete their ballots privately and independently.
   • The completed ballots will be deposited in the designated ballot box under the supervision of the Secretary General and the scrutineers.
   • Once all ballots have been received, the Secretary general, in the presence of the scrutineers appointed by the Assembly, will proceed to verify and count the votes cast by each of the participating societies. For this purpose, the official and updated list of societies entitled to vote, provided by Mr. Roberto Ranieri, Executive Secretary of the IFCPC, will be used as a reference.
   • The counting process will be conducted in an orderly, impartial, and transparent manner, ensuring the correct allocation of votes in accordance with the provisions of the IFCPC Constitution. Once the count is complete, the results will be officially presented to the General Assembly for its information and validation.
   • Note: Validity of all Ballots
   • To ensure the transparency and uniformity of the electoral process, ballots shall be considered invalid if they:
   • Contain more than four (4) selected candidates (members in large)
   • Contain cross-outs, amendments, annotations, or modifications that prevent the clear interpretation of the voter’s intent.
   • Include marks that allow the voter or the issuing society to be identified.
   • The determination of the validity of the ballots shall be made by the Secretary General in the presence of the scrutineers appointed by the Assembly, with a record kept of any incidents occurring during the counting process.
     
     
   • COUNTING OF VOTES
   • Ballots will be counted immediately after voting closes. The count will be conducted in an open, accurate, and transparent manner.
   • Any ballot deemed invalid will be reviewed jointly by the Secretary-General and the designated scrutineer(s).
3. Financial review by Dr EJ Mayeaux (10 min)
   • Presentation of the updated financial report
   • Financial projections
   • Opportunity for comments and approval
4. Formation of committees Dr Elsa Díaz López (10) min
   • Establishment of the Ethics Committee
   • Definition of objectives and functions
   • Proposal for membership
   • Establishment of criteria for conflicts of interest, mandatory for all members of the executive board (Share functions and objectives, presentation)
     
     
   • Review of Petitions from New Member Societies: Applications for membership from new societies. Dr. Elsa Díaz
   • Switzerland
   • Algeria
   • Guatemala
   • Russia
5. Presentation and vote for the new nomenclature, Pr Jacob Bornstein (5mn)
6. Future of IFCPC
   • Strengthening of strategic areas Dr Jean Luc Mergui (15) min
   • Strengthening Relations with Colposcopy Federations
   • Consolidation of partnerships with regional federations and related scientific societies.
   • Promotion of joint academic and scientific projects.
     
     
   • Collaboration for the Formation of the Asian Federation
   • Institutional support for the development and consolidation of the Asian Federation of Colposcopy.
   • Promotion of academic and scientific cooperation between regions.
     
     
   • Dissemination of Member Societies’ Academic Activities
   • Strengthening the promotion of courses, conferences and scientific activities through the IFCPC website and official channels.
   • Increasing the visibility and international participation of affiliated societies.
     
     
   • Strengthening the Educational Area
   • Report: Distance Learning Courses
   • Current status of online training programmes.
   • Achievements, challenges and growth prospects.
     
     
   • Colposcopy Trainer Training Programme
   • Training of instructors.
   • Expansion of the international network of IFCPC-accredited trainers.
     
     
   • Establishment of a Theoretical Training colposcopic course (an update of colposcopic knowledge)
   • Online courses in asynchronous and/or synchronous formats.
   • Alternative: Face-to-face refresher courses to complement the online courses undertaken
     
     
   • Optional extension: In-person Practical Training (Subject to demand from participating countries)
   • Organisation of 2- to 3-day in-person practical workshops.
   • Participation of 2 to 3 IFCPC experts (Board of Directors or Education Committee).
   • Training focused on practical skills and clinical standardisation.
     
     
   • Possibility of Local Certification
   • Collaboration with universities, medical colleges or national professional associations.
7. ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS Elsa Díaz L 5 min
   Once the count is complete, the Secretary-General will formally present the results to the General Assembly. The results will include:
   • Total votes
   • Valid votes
   • Invalid votes (have them)
   • Number of votes received by each candidate
     
     
   • The candidate who secures the required majority of votes shall be declared President-elect of the IFCPC for the 2026–2029 term.
   • The candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the available general member positions will be declared elected in accordance with the IFCPC Statutes.
   • The proposed venue for the next world congress that receives the majority of votes will be selected.
   • In the event of a tie, the Executive Board will cast the deciding vote.
8. Open forum for comments Jean Luc Mergui: AOB
9. CLOSING REMARKS & Invitation to the Opening eremony

Candidates for President Elect

shown alphabetically by last/surname

Jacob Bornstein, MD, MPA, Professor

Academic Leadership

• Full Professor, Basic Academic Track, Bar-Ilan University
• Former Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Galilee Medical Center
• Former Vice Dean, Faculty of Medicine
• Head, Gynecological Research Laboratory
• Member, National Academy of Science in Medicine
• Former Chair, Institutional Review Board (IRB - Helsinki Committee), Galilee Medical Center

Training and Fellowships

• MD, Hadassah and Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem
• Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Two-year post doctoral fellowship in colposcopy, cytopathology, and HPV molecular virology, in Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
  
• Further training:
• HPV latency and biomarkers, in the Virology Department, Cambridge, UK
• Management of cervical and vulvar cancer in the Royal Women Hospital, Sydney, Australia

Colposcopy, Cancer Prevention, and Scientific Contribution

• Chair, 4th and 5th IFCPC Colposcopy Nomenclature Committees
• Member, IFCPC Executive Board, two terms
• Leader of internationally adopted terminologies for the cervix, vagina, vulva, VIN, vulvar pain, cervical excision and specimen classification
• Founder and long-standing director of the Israeli Colposcopy Course
• Director, EUROGIN Colposcopy Course
• Leader of the national Cervical Cancer Elimination Project
• Principal investigator in HPV vaccine studies
• Contributor to school-based and catch-up HPV vaccination programs
• Former President, ISSVD
• Former Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease
• Author of about 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications and books, including "Vulvar Disease - Breaking the Myths"
• Recipient of major international distinctions, including the ASCCP Distinguished Scientific Award, ISSVD President's Award of Merit and principal investigator on multiple competitive national and international research grants

Strategic planning proposal

• Strategic Framework
• • This proposal outlines initial strategic directions for the 2029 - 2032 term and will be refined over the coming three years
• Vision Review and Refinement
• • Revisit and refine the IFCPC vision in light of contemporary developments
• Priority Objectives 
• • Contribute actively to the global effort to eliminate cervical cancer through high-quality colposcopy, better training, and evidence-based guidance
  • Strengthen IFCPC as the leading platform for global consensus in colposcopy, terminology, and lower genital tract disease
  • Expand educational impact through webinars, digital learning, international courses, and support for early-career colleagues
  • Deepen collaboration with national societies and related international organizations
  • Enhance IFCPC’s relevance in a rapidly evolving landscape shaped by HPV vaccination, HPV-based screening, and artificial intelligence
• Lines of Action
• • Establish focused international working groups to address important clinical controversies and produce practical consensus documents
  • Promote harmonized standards in terminology, colposcopy training, and management
  • Develop joint educational and scientific initiatives with member societies
  • Support research, publications, and multidisciplinary dialogue
  • Build a sustainable federation that provides clear value in both high resource and resource-limited settings

Professor Xavier Carcopino, MD, PhD, is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Aix-Marseille University (AMU) and Head of the Department of Gynecological Surgery at Hôpital Nord, AP-HM, Marseille. He leads the teaching of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the AMU School of Medicine and serves as national coordinator of the French university diploma in colposcopy. His clinical expertise includes gynecologic oncology surgery, colposcopy, and the diagnosis and management of cervical, vaginal, and vulvar disease, with a particular focus on cervical cancer prevention. His academic and research work is centered on HPV-related disease, cervical cancer screening and prevention, and gynecologic oncology. He has developed strong expertise and leadership in national and international scientific societies. He is the current President of the French Society of Colposcopy and Cervico-Vaginal Pathology (SFCPCV), after serving for nine years as its secretary, and has been involved in organizing its annual national congress for the past eleven years. He is also President-Elect of the European Federation for Colposcopy (EFC), a member of the IFCPC Executive Board, Scientific Chair of the IFCPC, and contributes to the European Commission Initiative on Cervical Cancer and to major international consensus statements in the field.

Strategic planning proposal

My vision is for the IFCPC to reinforce its role as the leading global reference organization in colposcopy and cervical cancer prevention. At a time when multiple scientific societies are developing educational initiatives in this field, the IFCPC must more clearly assert its leadership in standards, coordination, scientific visibility, and international collaboration.

My first priority would be to make training in cervical cancer prevention techniques adapted to local conditions and available resources a core activity of the IFCPC. This means recognizing, maintaining, and further developing the existing IFCPC distance learning course, while linking it more closely to webinars, congress activities, practical courses, and hands-on teaching. Particular emphasis should be placed on case-based learning, with discussion of practical clinical cases illustrated by high-quality colposcopic images in both congress sessions and regular webinars.

My second priority would be to formalize collaboration between the IFCPC and regional organizations. Closer links with the European Federation for Colposcopy and the Latin-American Federation of Lower Genital Tract Pathology and Colposcopy, together with support for the creation of an Asian federation bringing together colleagues from China, Japan, and India, would help build a coordinated international calendar of educational events, reduce conflicts, and ensure the regular delivery of training and scientific exchange.

My third priority would be to position the IFCPC as a leading force in the development of international guidelines and consensus statements on cervical cancer prevention, colposcopy practice, and the management and follow-up of intraepithelial lesions. This work would require a strong methodological approach, based on rigorous and reliable analysis of the literature.

Candidates for Director/Member at Large (4 vacancies)

• Mohammed Elazab, Egypt
• Aruna Nigam, India
• Yoshimi Tanaka, Japan
• Deirdre Lyons, United Kingdom
• Omar Gassama, Senegal

Active members

Active members are eligible to vote at the second assembly meeting. If your society is not listed below, the primary contact must login to their profile and submit the dues payment before the assembly meeting, otherwise you will not be eligible to vote. Primary contacts for all National societies can be found here.