Our work

Since its founding in 1954, every three years FIGO has organised a World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Its other activities include:

  • the organisation and administration of safe motherhood projects around the world, designed to reduce maternal mortality in developing countries
  • the awarding of modest grants to societies involved in the organisation of national workshops on maternal mortality and safe motherhood
  • the organisation of international workshops and the De Watteville Lecture, in collaboration with IFFS (given in memory of Professor Hubert de Watteville, one of the founding fathers of FIGO)
  • the awarding of fellowships
  • the production of the World Report on Women’s Health, published every three years to coincide with the World Congress. This special supplement to the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics represents a comprehensive overview of women’s health issues, both medical and social, such as the environment, violence against women, infertility and the effects of ageing.

Through the work of dedicated Committees, FIGO's work embraces many aspects of obstetrics and gynecology such as oncology, STDs/AIDS, perinatal health, education, safe motherhood, medical terminology, women physicians in the specialty, social activities on women's health, new technology, the pathology of the breast and ethics.

FIGO has a number of special projects and initiatives including those listed below.

To donate to either of the activities listed on the right, please click on the image.

The film Fistula Pilgrims tells the harrowing story of a young girl in Ethiopia who was married at 10, pregnant at 11 and gave birth to a stillborn child at 12.
The goal of this project is to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.