How does FIP work?

One of the things I am getting emails about following on from the GPS is ‘how can I join FIP?’ In many cases the person sending the email is already a member and yet they don’t know. This made me realise that we need to be clear about what FIP is and what FIP does. Hence this month I have dedicated this section to answering these two questions. 

What FIP is?

FIP is an umbrella organisation which is made up of member countries. Podiatrists who are members of the national associations are members of FIP. Each member association appoints up to three representatives to represent the country at the general assembly of FIP. One of these representatives will be appointed the official delegate of that organisation to FIP. These delegates make up the governing authority of FIP and meet once a year at the general assembly. This meeting happens in person and is where the governance of the federation is discussed and agreed. It is also the forum where the bord of directors are appointed. The board of directors is made up of five people from different countries who each serve a two-year term in a specific role. The general assembly set the direction for FIP, agreeing strategic goals and setting work priorities for the federation for the coming year.

What does FIP do?

The work of FIP is conducted by a number of groups – there are four in total. I’ve already mentioned the general assembly and the board who make up the first two. The next group is the permanent committees and the final part is the working groups. I often think of these four groups as the legs of FIP. Each leg works independently but together they make a stable table for all of FIP activities

There are 8 of these committees and each one has five members per committee. There is usually a board member or a country delegate who works very closely with these committees. Each committee has a chair who leads it. This chair is nominated by their home country and appointed by the board of directors to their role. These chairs present reports at least annually to the general assembly as well as working with their teams to deliver on their specific objectives. Our eight committees are as follows.

1. Articles of Association

2. Finance and Budget

3. Marketing and Communication

4. Regional Executive

5. International Podiatry Day

6. Nominations

7. Scientific Committee

8. International Recruitment

Given that the strategic priorities of FIP are not always met in the work of the permanent committees, FIP also has working groups which lead on specific projects which are aligned to the FIP mission and vision statements. If you are not sure what the vision and mission of FIP are… I have added these below as a reminder – I have taken this from our new website which has lots more detail for any member to look at – catch up at www.fip.global. 

The main 4 strategic priorities of FIP are as follows,

1. International Podiatry Day

2. Global Podiatry Summit

3. Global Voice of Podiatry

4. Global atlas of Podiatry

All of our working groups and special projects are aligned with these priorities. Currently, the working groups are as follows with more in development,

1. Endorsement of Educational programmes

2. International Academy of Podiatric Medical Educators

3. Podiatry Student Network

4. The Point Project

5. Special Olympics

6. International Standardisation

7. Seal of approval programme

8. Industry partnerships

9. Global Podiatry Summit

We also have several strategic alliances with similar NGO’s who share similar priorities and visions as FIP. At the moment we have formal agreements with the following organisations, and we work together to realise our priorities

1. ALPS

2. D-Foot international

3. EWMA

4. Samaritans Feet

I hope that this shows you that there is a lot going on in FIP. Four main priorities delivered by Four main groups of people. FIP has an amazing team of people but there is always room for more – if you are inspired by any of our working groups and would like to be more involved in a committee or a working group – please do get in touch. Equally if you think there is something that we are missing from any of our working groups – please let us know. At this stage you are probably aware of the strategic purpose statement of FIP……….together we keep the world on its feet. This is not something we can do alone – it takes all of us.

Looking forward to hearing from you!