Acupuncture Rising IV

1987: WFAS
Worldwide interest sparked the emergence of an international organization, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS). The idea of establishing WFAS was initiated by eight countries in 1984, an important time for the development of acupuncture in China. A preparatory committee was formed in Beijing that year, and by 1987 the WFAS was founded, holding its first inaugural conference that year. WFAS was headquartered in Beijing; it was approved by the Chinese State Council and coordinated by China's Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commission of Science and Technology, and National Commission of Science. Further development of WFAS was facilitated by the China Acupuncture Association and China Academy of Chinese Medicine. WFAS started with 57 members representing 37,000 acupuncture practitioners, scholars and medical doctors. To qualify for membership in WFAS, an organization was required to be a registered acupuncture organization with at least three years' history in a country/region, and must include a minimum of fifty individual members, three-fourths of whom had to be medical doctors and/or acupuncture practitioners.
In 1991, the World Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion was launched by WFAS. In 1998, WFAS and WHO established an official non-governmental partnership. This relationship allowed WFAS members to attend WHO's World Health Assembly as well as meetings of the WHO Standing Committee. Under the auspices of WHO, WFAS held international conferences for institutional members and professional members. At international conferences hosted by WFAS, many significant topics of acupuncture theory and practice have been addressed. WFAS has been instrumental in developing the acupuncture standards promulgated by WHO.
As a non-governmental international union of acupuncture associations and organizations, having official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1998, WFAS functions to promote understanding and cooperation among acupuncture groups throughout the world, to strengthen international academic exchanges, to advance acupuncture medicine, and to enhance the status of acupuncture in health care systems. More specifically, WFAS was established to organize international conferences, symposiums and seminars on acupuncture; promote cooperation among acupuncture groups throughout the world; encourage academic exchanges on acupuncture; meet responsibilities required by the official relations between WFAS and WHO; cooperate with WHO to implement WHO's strategy regarding traditional medicine; publicize and promote acupuncture medicine; strive to attain legal status for acupuncture in all countries; develop education and training methods for acupuncture and improve its professional quality; promote acupuncture treatment and research; publish periodicals and provide information on acupuncture; and formulate and promote organizational standards and international standards of acupuncture.
 This article has been  published in Acupuncture Today.