A Look Back: Progress, Partnerships and Global Impact

Highlights from a year of growth, collaboration and global impact in advancing our mission to improve 'Skin Health for the World'.

As we reach the halfway point of 2025, we are reflecting on the progress we made last year to strengthen dermatology around the world.

Our latest Annual Report outlines how the ILDS has advanced our mission through increased membership, global advocacy, programme development and outreach.

Here are just a few highlights from the work we delivered together across the ILDS and IFD.

Welcoming New Members and Strengthening Connections

• Our membership grew by 4.33%, with 9 new Member Societies joining our global network.
• We held our first fully virtual Annual General Meeting and Member Forum, with 80 representatives from 217 Member Societies taking part.
• We improved the Member application process to make it clearer and more accessible.
• The ILDS Secretariat expanded, with three new staff members joining the team, and we delivered two Board meetings during the year.
  

Sharing Stories and Raising Awareness

• We launched "ILDS in Motion", a new video series capturing the real-life stories behind our programmes and partnerships.
• Our social media following grew by 34%, helping us reach more people with key messages about skin health.
• For the first time, we began sharing news through press releases and media engagement, helping to raise the profile of our projects, partnerships, Member Societies and dermatologists around the world.

Speaking Up for Skin Health on the Global Stage

• We co-hosted a side event at the World Health Assembly with GlobalSkin and others, advocating for greater recognition of skin diseases in public health.
• We submitted two dermatological treatments for inclusion on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.
• We also led a skin health session at the NNN Annual Conference, bringing more attention to underserved conditions.
• Our World Skin Health Day campaign reached an estimated 2.6 million people worldwide.

Developing Programmes and Building Capacity

• The Global Partnership for Education and Care (GPEC) launched with 12 institutions in 10 countries, supporting over 1,700 healthcare professionals through training and collaboration.
• Our Grand Challenges in Global Skin Health initiative continued their momentum with major updates from the Global Atlases on psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, vitiligo, and chronic prurigo.
• The new Global Access to Skin Health Observatory launched its survey, receiving responses from 85 countries.

Reaching Underserved Communities Through the IFD

The International Foundation for Dermatology (IFD) expanded its reach, supporting access to care, education and training in underserved communities.

• In 2024, the IFD strengthened its focus on specific challenges in skin health by supporting two dedicated Working Groups: the ongoing Migrant Health Working Group and the newly established Working Group for People with Albinism (PWA).
• We continued our longstanding partnership with the Regional Dermatology Training Centre (RDTC) in Tanzania, which treated over 20,000 patients and delivered 40 outreach clinics, including support for People with Albinism and patients with XP.
• A new partnership with Pacific Dermatology Limited supported the growth of the Pacific Dermatology Training Centre (PDTC) in Fiji. The new funding will increase access to care and improved treatment for individuals living with skin diseases throughout the region, which includes Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa and other Pacific Island Nations.
• 17 DermLink projects were completed across 14 countries, reaching over 12,000 people.
• We launched DermImpact, a new grant programme focused on capacity building and longer-term support.

Looking Ahead

Throughout 2024, preparations progressed for the World Skin Summit 2025 in Cape Town, with a comprehensive scientific programme under development. Planning for the World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) 2027 in Guadalajara also advanced significantly, and bids for WCD 2031 were received from Dubai, Madrid and Riyadh.

Together, these initiatives and collective efforts demonstrate the ILDS’s ongoing commitment to supporting the global dermatology community and advancing access to care, education, research and collaboration in skin health.