Editors: Cristina Tania Fridman

Transcripción

1 VOLUME 11, ISSUE 2 NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2014 Editors: Cristina Tania Fridman Alain Giami Contributors: Kevan Wylie, Federation Presidents, Chairs Committees; Fernando Bianco Colmenares; Jaqueline Brendler; Antón Castellanos Usigli; Esther Corona; Rafael García Alvarez; Leon Roberto Gindin; Ruben Hernández Serrano; Yuko Higashi; Felipe Hurtado Murillo; Osmo Kontula; Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson; Luis Perelman; Nadine Terrein; Chiara Simonelli; D. Narayana Reddy; Margaret Redelman Topics Covered 1. A President Update 2. News from WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights 3. News from WAS Committees 4. News from the regions 5. 22nd Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health: July For your agenda Welcome from the Media Committee 1- A President Update 1 Dear friends and colleagues, It has been a busy period since my last update to the membership and I have great pleasure sharing some of the detail with you in this update. Our Declaration of Sexual Rights is an exceptional document that will be of considerable value to so many of us both within and external to WAS. The special task force started its work just soon after this administration came into being so the development time has been short and such a comprehensive document is testament to the expertise and dedication of the writing team and task force. The Declaration was officially launched on the 5th World Sexual Health Day globally. I am certain that you will all be using this Declaration at some stage of your advocacy work, teaching, lecturing and hopefully in a part of your everyday work. I have started to incorporate some of the detail in some of my lectures and am finding the applicability widely. We have been negotiating with a number of companies to provide us with core PCO (professional congress organiser) and AM (association management) services. Guarant will 8. Sexual Health: The Wellbeing of Sexuality 9. Miscellaneous: In memory of Maj-Briht Bergström-Walan 10. Press of World -International Updates: News; Attachment 1: From the webmaster Attachment II: Artistic events in Paris, London, Buenos Aires Publication completely underwrite our financial exposure to allow us to ensure the Singapore meeting can go ahead and offer a guarantee of financial return for each meeting from The company will assist in the call for bids to host the next two meetings for 2017 & 2019 and more details will follow. We need a portal that allows the world to view us as a professional organisation and our development of the new website over the last year is an excellent starting point. We share some of the detail of 'visitors' to our website in our newsletter. There was a considerable increase in the number of visitors around WSHD and the release of our Declaration. The deal we have secured with Guarant is favourable in financial terms by using the company as both PCO and AM. The company will provide a number of professional services that I hope will allow a single point of contact for the AC, EC, membership and the wider world to contact. In addition to the benefits from a PCO and AM, Sexual Health Visual continue to partner with us and were in Brisbane where they recorded the sessions of the recent AOFS congress. I met with

2 the founder, editor and filming organiser of the company whilst in Sydney. The company will be with us in Singapore in 2015 and I encourage you to all remember the membership benefit of annual subscription and access to this substantial facility. Further, in October, the contract with the publisher of our journal "International Journal of Sexual Health" was finalised with on line access a membership benefit. This is a three year contract. The CLASSES meeting was in Punta Cana and I was invited by FLASSES to participate. This meeting included a welcome from the First Lady of the DR who is also a trained sex and couples therapist. We had the chance with Maria, Ruben, Esther and Luis to share some of the details of the new Declaration. At this meeting, Leon Gindin took over from Antonio as the president of FLASSES and Cristina Tania Fridman had the honour of receiving the highest distinction of FLASSES congratulations. At AOFS in Brisbane the congress was a considerable success. Tommi, Yuko, Anton, Rosemary, Maryanne and myself were present and we all contributed into the programme. At this meeting, Margaret Redelman took over from Reiko as the president of AOFS. In August Narayana invited me to attend the 30th Congress of CSEPI. During the presidential welcome I was able to share some of the detail of the sexual declaration as it pertains to sex education. Elna and myself were able to provide input into the educational programme and had a very enjoyable experience with our colleagues in India. Whilst there, I was also awarded the prestigious Golden Lamp award which was a great honour for me to receive. After this meeting, I spoke at the Women's Health meeting in Athens and again was able to share the detail of our new Declaration to great interest and support from a mainly gynaecology audience. I participated in a joint WHO WAS symposium at the Malta IUSTI meeting that took place at the end of September This allowed me to present the new declaration in detail and also to meet with Igor Toskin from SRH at WHO and Thierry (UNESCO chair) for a productive and engaging discussion about future collaboration. Also at the meeting was Christine Winkelmann from Germany who has now approached Lotta to join her working group and I have already agreed to this wonderful development. We have a joint educational meeting in Panama with ISSM and this is in conjunction with our colleagues at FLASSES and SLAMS and WAMS. Our biannual congress will be in July In Singapore. More details on both meetings are within the newsletter. My vision is to make the world hear about WAS and for WAS to have a place with global partners where our input into negotiations are important. I believe we are growing in strength through developments such as the WSHD, the new SR Declaration, our new website, the joint meeting with ISSM and our strong regional federation and partners such as the joint symposium with WHO & UNESCO Chair and the developing educational links that we have established. After negotiating a strong mutually beneficial contract with the PCO and AM we should see progress and stability for the Association over the next five years. Kevan Wylie; President WAS WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH 2- News from WAS - Declaration of Sexual Rights In recognition that sexual rights are essential for the achievement of the highest attainable sexual health, the World Association for Sexual Health: STATES that sexual rights are grounded in universal human rights that are already recognized in international and regional human rights documents, in national constitutions and laws, human rights standards and principles, and in scientific knowledge related to human sexuality and sexual health. REAFFIRMS that sexuality is a central aspect of being human throughout life, encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation,

3 eroticism, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction. Sexuality is experienced and expressed in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices, roles, and relationships. While sexuality can include all of these dimensions, not all of them are always experienced or expressed. Sexuality is influenced by the interaction of biological, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, legal, historical, religious, and spiritual factors. RECOGNIZES that sexuality is a source of pleasure and wellbeing and contributes to overall fulfillment and satisfaction. REAFFIRMS that sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. REAFFIRMS that sexual health cannot be defined, understood or made operational without a broad understanding of sexuality. REAFFIRMS that for sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled. RECOGNIZES that sexual rights are based on the inherent freedom, dignity, and equality of all human beings and include a commitment to protection from harm. STATES that equality and non-discrimination are foundational to all human rights protection and promotion and include the prohibition of any distinction, exclusion or restriction on the basis of race, ethnicity, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, including disability, age, nationality, marital and family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, health status, place of residence, economic and social situation. RECOGNIZES that persons sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and bodily diversities require human rights protection. RECOGNIZES that all types of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, and stigmatization are violations of human rights, and impact the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. AFFIRMS that the obligations to respect, protect and fulfill human rights apply to all sexual rights and freedoms. AFFIRMS that sexual rights protect all people's rights to fulfill and express their sexuality and enjoy sexual health, with due regard for the rights of others. Sexual rights are human rights pertaining to sexuality: 1. The right to equality and non-discrimination Everyone is entitled to enjoy all sexual rights set forth in this Declaration without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnicity, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, place of residence, property, birth, disability, age, nationality, marital and family status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, health status, economic and social situation and other status. 2. The right to life, liberty, and security of the person Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security that cannot be arbitrarily threatened, limited, or taken away for reasons related to sexuality. These include: sexual orientation, consensual sexual behavior and practices, gender identity and expression, or because of accessing or providing services related to sexual and reproductive health. 3. The right to autonomy and bodily integrity Everyone has the right to control and decide freely on matters related to their sexuality and their body. This includes the choice of sexual behaviors, practices, partners and relationships with due regard to the rights of others. Free and informed decision making requires free and informed consent prior to any sexually-related testing, interventions, therapies, surgeries, or research.

4 4. The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment Everyone shall be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment related to sexuality, including: harmful traditional practices; forced sterilization, contraception, or abortion; and other forms of torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment perpetrated for reasons related to someone s sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and bodily diversity. 5. The right to be free from all forms of violence and coercion Everyone shall be free from sexuality related violence and coercion, including: rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, sexual exploitation and slavery, trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation, virginity testing, and violence committed because of real or perceived sexual practices, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and bodily diversity. 6. The right to privacy Everyone has the right to privacy related to sexuality, sexual life, and choices regarding their own body and consensual sexual relations and practices without arbitrary interference and intrusion. This includes the right to control the disclosure of sexuality-related personal information to others. 7. The right to the highest attainable standard of health, including sexual health; with the possibility of pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences Everyone has the right to the highest attainable level of health and wellbeing in relation to sexuality, including the possibility of pleasurable, satisfying, and safe sexual experiences. This requires the availability, accessibility, acceptability of quality health services and access to the conditions that influence and determine health including sexual health. 8. The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its application Everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications in relation to sexuality and sexual health. 9. The right to information Everyone shall have access to scientifically accurate and understandable information related to sexuality, sexual health, and sexual rights through diverse sources. Such information should not be arbitrarily censored, withheld, or intentionally misrepresented. 10. The right to education and the right to comprehensive sexuality education Everyone has the right to education and comprehensive sexuality education. Comprehensive sexuality education must be age appropriate, scientifically accurate, culturally competent, and grounded in human rights, gender equality, and a positive approach to sexuality and pleasure. 11. The right to enter, form, and dissolve marriage and other similar types of relationships based on equality and full and free consent Everyone has the right to choose whether or not to marry and to enter freely and with full and free consent into marriage, partnership or other similar relationships. All persons are entitled to equal rights entering into, during, and at dissolution of marriage, partnership and other similar relationships, without discrimination and exclusion of any kind. This right includes equal entitlements to social welfare and other benefits regardless of the form of such relationships. 12. The right to decide whether to have children, the number and spacing of children, and to have the information and the means to do so Everyone has the right to decide whether to have children and the number and spacing of children. To exercise this right requires access to the conditions that influence and determine health and wellbeing, including sexual and reproductive health services related to pregnancy, contraception, fertility, pregnancy termination, and adoption.

5 13. The right to the freedom of thought, opinion, and expression Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, opinion, and expression regarding sexuality and has the right to express their own sexuality through, for example, appearance, communication, and behavior, with due respect to the rights of others. 14. The right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly Everyone has the right to peacefully organize, associate, assemble, demonstrate, and advocate including about sexuality, sexual health, and sexual rights. 15. The right to participation in public and political life Everyone is entitled to an environment that enables active, free, and meaningful participation in and contribution to the civil, economic, social, cultural, political, and other aspects of human life at local, national, regional, and international levels. In particular, all persons are entitled to participate in the development and implementation of policies that determine their welfare, including their sexuality and sexual health. 16. The right to access to justice, remedies, and redress Everyone has the right to access to justice, remedies, and redress for violations of their sexual rights. This requires effective, adequate, accessible, and appropriate educative, legislative, judicial, and other measures. Remedies include redress through restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantee of nonrepetition. The revision of the Declaration was approved by the Advisory Committee of WAS in March 2014 WAS REPRESENTATIVE -ESTHER CORONA, TASK FORCE CO- CHAIRS: Eli Coleman; Esther Corona MEMBERS: Maria Antonieta Alcalde; Antón Castellanos Usigli Mariela Castro Espín; Yuko Higashi; Pinar Ilkkaracan; Ezster Kismodi; Eleanor Maticka Tyndall Rafael Mazín Reynoso; María Perez Conchillo; Marlene Wasserman. 3 News from WAS COMMITTEES SEXUALITY EDUCATION COMMITTEE (SEC) A Statutory Committee Chair Osmo Kontula (Finland) Vice-Chair Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson (Sweden). Members Roger Ingham (United Kingdom), Bill Taverner (USA), Esther Corona (Mexico), Cristina Tania Fridman (Argentina), Sharful (Bobby) Islam Khan (Bangladesh). The Sexuality Education Committee (SEC) is a statutory committee of the World Association for Sexual Health. The purpose of this committee is to provide information, advice, support and assessments in the area of sexuality education. SEC has now started to collect information and publications of sexuality education programs around the world. SEC would appreciate if WAS members submit to the committee references and publications that include information of the sexuality education programs in their countries. Please contact Osmo Kontula (Osmo.Kontula@vaestoliitto.fi). This committee is also responsible for the process of The Award for Excellence & Innovation in Sexuality Education. In order to reach as many potential winners as possible SEC would like to emphasize the importance of dissemination of this information through all members of WAS. In addition, SEC appreciates members with competence to translate the announcement to even more languages than current English and Spanish (Chinese, French etc.). Please contact Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson as the chair of the sub-committee (charlotta.lofgren-martenson@mah.se). The announcement of The Award for Excellence & Innovation in Sexuality Education is now on WAS website. Please check out the categories and the criteria below. The deadline for submissions is February 1st The awards will be announced and granted in the WASconference in Singapore in June

6 For submission of applications for the awards please use In recognition of the special contribution sexuality educators make to the overall fields of education, health and sexology, the World Association for Sexual Health presents this prestigious award at its World Congress every two years. WAS invites nominations from individuals and organizations to be considered for the award. The categories for the award and the criteria for evaluation of submissions are set out below. CRITERIA Categories A. Non-Government Organizations or Individuals B. Academic Programmes C. Governmental and Governmentsponsored Programmes Evaluation Criteria A. NGO or Individual Category Relevance of programme to target group(s) and social context Strength and consistency of conceptual framework Use of innovative concepts Extent and scope of the programme Relevance of methodology and materials used to target groups Possibilities of replication Evidence of evaluation and results B. Academic Programmes Category Relevance of programme to target group(s) and social context Strength and consistency of conceptual framework Use of innovative concepts Relevance of methodology and materials used Possibilities of replication Training potential Evidence of evaluation and results C. Governmental and Government Sponsored Programmes Category Relevance of programme to target group(s) and social context. Strength and consistency of conceptual framework Relevance of methodology and materials used Extent and scope of the programme. Extent to the degree in which the programme has been institutionalized and provided with resources. Evidence of collaboration with civil society Innovative concepts Possibilities of replication and multiplication of programme. Evidence of evaluation and results How to apply for all categories: Please state in a covering letter, what category you are applying for, what have been the obstacles, difficulties (e.g. funding, political obstacles) that the programme /individual has had to overcome and how have they been resolved. What is the origin of the initiative (e.g. did it come from government or through a lobby to influence Government?) When applying please send as much relevant information as possible as well as a scan of materials used. Please do not send actual materials, unless requested by the Sexuality Education Award Committee. Please note that Programmes associated with members of WAS Advisory Committee, Education Committee and Officers may not apply. EN ESPAÑOL El Comité de Educación Sexual (SEC) es un comité estatutario de la Asociación Mundial para la Salud Sexual. El propósito de este comité es proporcionar información, asesoramiento, apoyo y evaluación en el ámbito de la educación sexual. "El Comité de Educación Sexual (SEC) ha comenzado a recopilar información y publicaciones de los programas de educación sexual en todo el mundo. SEC apreciaría si los miembros del Comité de WAS incluyeran información de los programas de educación sexual de sus países y fueran sometidos al comité de referencia las publicaciones dando cuenta acerca de dichas informaciones. Osmo.Kontula@vaestoliitto.fi

7 Este comité también es responsable de Los Premios de Excelencia e Innovación Educativa en Sexualidad. "El Comité de Educación también quiere hacer hincapié en la importancia de la difusión a través de todos los miembros del CA y CE con el fin de llegar al mayor número de ganadores potenciales como sea posible. Además, si algún miembro tiene competencia para traducir el anuncio a mayor cantidad de idiomas (chino, francés, etc.) sería óptimo al tratarse de una organización verdaderamente internacional. Se agradece contactar con Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson como la presidenta de la Subcomisión de Premios en Educación, como es éste caso.". Dirección de correo electrónico que funciona sólo para este propósito: was2014award@mah.se "Las nominaciones para los Premios de Excelencia en Educación de WAS están anunciadas en nuestro sitio web. Por favor, lea las categorías y los criterios que figuran en las líneas de abajo. La fecha límite de presentación es el 1 de febrero de Los premios serán anunciados y otorgados en La Conferencia de Singapur que WAS realiza en Junio 09/ " PREMIO EN EDUCACIÓN: Excelencia e innovación en Educación Sexual Finalidad Reconocer la especial contribución que los educadores de la sexualidad hacen a los campos generales de la educación, la salud y la sexología. Se presentan en tres categorías: 1. Organizaciones no gubernamentales, programas privados o individuos 2. Programas académicos 3. Programas gubernamentales o patrocinados exclusivamente por gobiernos y entidades públicas Nominaciones Las organizaciones y los individuos pueden nominarse a sí mismos o pueden ser nominados por terceras personas. Criterios de evaluación Organizaciones no gubernamentales, programas privados o individuos o Relevancia del programa o intervención para el público al que va dirigido y su contexto social o Fortaleza y consistencia de marco conceptual o Uso de conceptos innovadores o Extensión y alcance del programa o o o Relevancia de la metodología y de los materiales utilizados para los grupos destinatarios Posibilidades de replicación Evidencia de evaluación y resultados Programas académicos o Relevancia del programa o intervención para el público al que va dirigido y su contexto social o Fortaleza y consistencia de marco conceptual o Uso de conceptos innovadores o Relevancia de la metodología y de los materiales utilizados o Posibilidades de replicación o Potencial de formación o Evidencia de evaluación y resultados Programas gubernamentales o patrocinados exclusivamente por gobiernos y entidades públicas o Relevancia del programa o intervención para el público al que va dirigido y su contexto social o Fortaleza y consistencia de marco conceptual o Relevancia de la metodología y de los materiales utilizados o Extensión y alcance del programa. Medida en del grado en que el programa se ha institucionalizado y provisto de recursos o Evidencia de colaboración con la sociedad civil o Conceptos innovadores o Posibilidades de replicación y multiplicación del programa o Evidencia de evaluación y resultados Normas para presentación de candidatura Carta de presentación indicando el nombre de la organización y la categoría para la que se presenta la candidatura. Declaración sobre los objetivos del programa y el objetivo público (s). El origen de la iniciativa (por ejemplo, Vino desde el gobierno o a través de un grupo de influencia en el gobierno?). WAS también está interesado en saber qué obstáculos se encontraron y cómo el organizador (s) del programa los ha resuelto Más información relevante como sea posible puede ser incluida y algunas muestras de material Educativo, mejoraría la aplicación. Programas relacionados con los miembros del Comité Asesor de WAS, del Comité de Educación y de otros Comités oficiales no podrán presentar candidatura. Chair Osmo Kontula (Finland) Vice-Chair Lotta Löfgren-Mårtenson (Sweden). SEXUAL RIGHTS COMMITTEE A Statutory Committee December 2014 edition - Sexual Rights for All Co-Chairs: Yuko Higashi (Japan) & Tommi Paalanen (Finland) Tamara Adrian (Venezuela) Mariela Castro (Cuba) Eli Coleman (USA) Faysal El-Kak (Lebanon) Ingrid Geray (France) Sharful Islam Khan (Bangladesh) Ilsa Lottes (USA) Rafael Mazin (USA) Xud Zubieta Méndez (Spain) Emil Man-Lun Ng (Hong Kong) Aminta Parra (Venezuela) Maria Perez (Spain) Marcia Rocha (Brazil) Marlene Wasserman (South Africa)

8 The revised Declaration of Sexual Rights (DSR) has officially been announced to the public. It was introduced around the world on September 4 th in conjunction with the celebration of Sexual Health Day. The Sexual Rights Committee (SRC) has been committed to the promotion of this important document by translating and disseminating it as widely as possible. We have been successful in organizing translation teams in different countries and here are some languages for which there are completed translations: Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, Chinese, French, Japanese, Khmer, Portugese, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Russian. A few of these are still going through the proofreading process but will soon be published on our website and stand as representation of our commitment to the promotion of sexual rights throughout the world. As a part of our efforts to promote the revised DSR, the Co-Chairs of the SRC gave a webinar in conjunction with Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) titled Sexual Rights: Definitions, Declarations, & Implications (September 9 th ). Then along with Rosemary Coates, we held a special session on this topic at the 13 th AOFS Conference in Brisbane on October 25th that was chaired by Matt Tilley, a former member of the SRC. The three of us gave complementary presentations to cover and discuss: the development of Sexual Rights over the past 20 years, WHO response to the concept, and what is new about the revised DSR. Also at the conference, the WAS Youth Initiative held an excellent and productive roundtable discussion on the DSR, which was supported and attended by several SRC members. Tommi Paalanen is also organizing a seminar on this topic in Helsinki on November 20 th, inviting lecturers from Russian and Turkey to present about the Sexual Rights in their country. We are planning to continue our efforts to translate and disseminate the revised DSR in as many languages as possible. If you are interested in joining this project, and/or have any suggestions for other effective means to promote the DSR, please contact SRC Co-Chair Tommi Paalanen: tommi.paalanen@iki.fi Co-Chairs Yuko Higashi and Tommi Paalanen WAS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE A Statutory Committee MEMBERSHIP Chair: Pedro Nobre (Portugal) Vice-Chair: Maryanne Doherty-Poirier (Canada) Field Leaders Basic Sciences: Erick Janssen (USA) Behavioral & Social Sciences: Osmo Kontula (Finland) Clinical Sciences: Marita MacCabe (Australia) Educational Sciences: Aleksandar Štulhofer (Croatia) Medical Sciences: Andrea Salonia (Italy) Public Health: Maryanne Doherty-Poirier (Canada) Sexual Rights: Yuko Higashi (Japan) SUMMARY OF THE WAS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ACTIONS During the 2014 the WAS SC have been dedicated to plan the scientific programme of the WAS Congress in Singapore together with the Congress President Ganesan Adaikan and the Local Scientific Committee. Moreover, the project of the World Database on Sexual Health has seen some new developments. Below we summarize the main activities developed during Preparation of the WAS Congress in Singapore List of Invited Speakers The WAS Scientific Committee together with the Local Scientific Committee suggested a list of invited speakers for the World Congress in Singapore in The criteria used in this selection included: 1) being a world expert in the field, 2) have not been invited to the last WAS Congress, 3) not being a member of the WAS AC or Statutory Committees, 4) balanced representation of the main areas within sexology, 5) balanced regional representation, 6) balanced gender representation.

9 The final list of invited speakers is composed by 16 world experts in sexology, covering the main areas of sexual health: Basic Sciences Behavioral & Social Sciences Clinical Sciences Educational Sciences Medical Sciences Public Health Sexual Rights Moreover, the list of invited speakers also cover all world regions: America 4 speakers, Europe 4 speakers, Asia-Pacific- 6 speakers, Africa 1 speaker, Mid East 1 speaker, and the gender balance, although not perfect, is reasonable: 6 women/10 men. The complete list of invited speakers will soon be available on the Congress website. Spanish/Portuguese Scientific Programme In accordance with Kevan and Maria we decided to propose the constitution of a Spanish/Portuguese Scientific Programme and Committee for the WAS Congress in Singapore. The Scientific Committee will be responsible for the evaluation and selection of the abstracts to be presented in Singapore using Spanish or Portuguese as main language (Spanish/Portuguese Programme). This is a very important step forward regarding the recognition of Spanish as a WAS official language. Spanish and Portuguese together are spoken as first or second language by more than 800 million people in five continents, and their inclusion in the WAS Congress is strategic to spread the influence of WAS worldwide. The members of the Spanish/Portuguese Scientific Committee are recognized leaders in the field from several countries in Latin America and Europe chaired by the past WAS president, Eusebio Rubio: Aminta Parra (Venezuela) António Palha (Portugal) Carmita Abdo (Brazil) Cristina Fridman (Argentina) Esther Corona (Mexico) Felipe Hurtado (Espanha) Gabriela Moita (Portugal) Jaqueline Brender (Brazil) Luis Perelman (Mexico) Rubén Hernández (Venezuela) Global and WAS affiliated Societies Symposia The WAS SC and the Local SC have decided to invite Global and WAS affiliated societies to organize symposia in several ground-breaking topics on the field. This is a very important opportunity to bring all global and WAS affiliated societies together and present/discuss some of the most central and current challenges in the field of sex research/sexual health/sexual rights. We hope that most global and WAS affiliated societies respond positively to this challenge and enrich the WAS Congress. New developments in the World Database on Sexual Health During 2014 we achieved an agreement with The University of Porto to store the World Database on Sexual Health. The Database will be accessible online and WAS members will have access to full texts open request. The process of integrating the manuscripts on the online archive has started in September 2014 and will take approximately one year to be completed. Additionally, three students from my research team have volunteered (without any financial compensation) to update the Database since 2011 till now. This task was started in June and an impressive number of full text manuscripts was already added to the Database. We estimate that the total number of full papers available will reach in less than one year. WORLD SEXUAL HEALTH DAY COMMITTEE And Ad- hoc Committe Co-Chairs: Luis Perelman y Nadine Terrein- Roccatti de México Members: Jacqueline Brendler (Brasil),Antón Castellanos-Usigli (México), Cristina Tania Fridman (Argentina), Yuko Higashi, (Japón), Sara Nasserzadeh (EE.UU.), Narayana Reddy (India), Marlene Wasserman (Sudáfrica), Felipe Hurtado (España) Asesores Honorarios: Esther Corona (México), Rosemary Coates (Australia) Enlace con EC: María Pérez-Conchillo (España) worldsexualhealthday@gmail.com

10 PARAGUAY In Paraguay they asked the students of their training programs to post photos with one word associated with sexual wellbeing. PERU The celebration in Peru was organized by the CEPESEX with the health ministry WORLD SEXUAL HEALTH DAY 2014 WSHD this year was celebrated in: (in alphabetic order) Argentina Australia- Austria- Bahréin - Brazil Chile- Colombia- Croatia - Cuba -Dominican Republic - El Salvador- Finland- India- Indonesia- Iran -Israel Italy- Japan -Lebanon - Lithuania -Macedonia México -Netherlands - Nicaragua - Pakistan- Panamá -Paraguay Peru- Portugal- Puerto Rico-South Africa - Spain - Sweden -Tunisia Turkey - Uruguay - USA - Venezuela Two information systems are set up, in English and Facebook World Sexual Health Day; Día Mundial Salud Sexual Webs : Sara Nasserzadeh has done a great work with her video, check it on Facebook or follow this link JAPAN Japan has a WSHD Japan page on FB now: Health-Day-_-Japan-page/ ?ref=profile Dr. Tomoko Saotome organized an event on September 7th in Tokyo, where different organizations had their booths set up and give presentations/workshops on different topics. Tomoko has created a page on FB as well: 584/?ref=22 Yuko Higashi held a sex education seminar on September 6th in Osaka. And Masayoshi Yanagida, who is a member of the WAS Youth Initiative has created a website for "World Sexual Health Day Japan": ARGENTINA In Argentina, Cristina Tania Fridman organized three activities: Activity1. on August the 21, in the auditorium of the Gador Laboratory in Buenos Aires, SASH (the Argentinian Society of Human Sexuality) celebrated the WSHD with the students from the Universidad Abierta Interamericana / Chair on Sexuality and Health. The meeting was open to the public, the SASH students and the community of the university. 60 persons attended, Cristina Fridman talked about the new Declaration of Sexual Rights recently approved by WAS, and about the definition of sexual health and its meaning to each one. She also explained our theme "Sexual Health: the wellbeing of sexuality. The team also presented the results from a survey among the students where 400 respondents during the four months- were asked for the meaning of sexual health, to name three elements that they considered fundamentals to attain sexual health and the relation between sexuality and wellbeing in their own words. They also copied the hole list of behaviors of a sexually healthy adult from SIECUS, asking the assistants to mark the three most important ones for their own sexual health. Miguel Rajlin talked about Death and Sexuality, Karina Orzechovski talked about Love bonding and Sexual Health, Denise Gándara and Ezequiel Cáceres talked about Not knowing and sexual health and Erica Bisso talked about Sexual Health, Gender and body. Activity 2. The students Nicolás Beguelman and Javier Benitez, under the direction from the seminar of Sexuality and Health of the Universidad Abierta Interamericana and the coordination from Cristina Tania Fridman, produced a representative, creative VIDEO with impact About the Wellbeing of Sexuality, they put music and translated it into English, with a longer video where they interviewed two women about their sexual health. These two videos were presented and uploaded in their blogs, local and global Facebook pages, and at the University where the quality of the videos were noticed.

11 Here are the links to both videos: %20Mundial%20de%20la%20Salud%20Sexuall. mp4 lylvbgqnzqugs/edit?usp=sharing Salud-Sexual/ check it on Facebook date at august 22 of 2014 Activity3.- They also took pictures of representative persons and they were uploaded to the global Facebook page. They promoted the celebration through social media, individually and in groups, inviting people to take pictures and put them as profile pictures and upload them the the global Facebook page. Italy The Italian group (Chiara Simonelli, Roberta Rossi, and Stefano) coordinated the activities of WSHD 2014 in Rome. They organized on 13 September a workshop on "Sexual Health & Disability" at the Faculty of Medicine and Psychology of Sapienza University of Rome. Participants got involved in interactive activities to re-define together the concept of Sexual Health. BRAZIL 2014 Brazil Towns (5) Please see photos (67) &type=1 P o r t o A l e g r e Event 1: Sexual health: wellbeing of sexuality. Speakers: Lina Wainberg (SBRASH /SPRS), Diego Villas-Boas (SPRS), Sandra Scalco (SBRASH) brought their scientific view of slogan. Chair: Jaqueline Brendler ( WAS & SBRASH). Place: Shopping Bourboun Country. Time: 24 of August 5pm 20h. Event 2: workshops with college students on 2 different days and filmed videos of students. You can see Video of Porto Alegre with students of University they answered questions: 1) How healthy and satisfying sexuality or unhealthy and unsatisfactory sexuality can influence a person s life? 2) What can people do to improve their sex lives? São Paulo two NGOs Inpasex (Oswaldo Rodrigues and his group ), CEPES and GEGIPS. They discussed "Sexual Health and its Wellbeing" in 23rd International Book Fair in São Paulo, in booth F250. Place: Park Anhembi. Time: August 23, 2-6pm-. Cepcos Event: Musical Show and discussed Wellbeing in Sexuality during break. Place: House of Musical Show Ton Ton in South are of São Paulo. A member of the CEPCOS ( Ralmer Rigoleto) participated in Show and several participated, during break, of discussion with the audience. They filmed video (1) I published video in Diamundialdesaúdesexual (official Facebook in Brazil of WSHD) and workshop include questionnaire Time: September 2, during 3 hours. Curitiba Gepes and Cláudia Bonfim make event in Curitiba (capital) about The influence and the impact of education on the welfare of sexuality. Many adolescents were in this activity. Questions discussed after talking show. Place: Shopping Center Curitiba. Theatre Eva Herz. Bookstore Cultura. Time: 28 August. R i o d e J a n e i r o Chair. Iracema Teixeira. General Topic: The WELL - BEING Sexuality. Place: Federal Institute of Science and Technology Education of Rio de Janeiro and Scholl Pedro II (in Realego Rio ). Promotion: SBRASH/ PET / IFECT / Scholl Pedro II (for teenagers). Event: educational and recreational activities: lectures, workshops, music, theater, video and dance. Time:: September 4. 2pm 6pm S a l v a d o r Chair: Tereza Cristina Fagundes (SBRASH and UFB). Event 1: - Time: August 20. Place: At New Horizon Public School. Tereza Cristina Fagundes & Ana Claudia de Jesus dos Santos did workshop with adolescents and young adults ( EJA s students). Event 2 - Time: August 26. Place. Federal University of Bahia (UFB) Teachers of the Institute of Biology of the Federal University of Bahia (UFB) after workshop created a Virtual Forum will

12 remain open for 1 month discussing the slogan ). MEXICO In Mexico, Femess has taken control of this years celebration, they organized a press conference, events in public places and universities in Mexico City, Guadalajara among others, and a photography contest in Poza Rica, state of Veracruz. The local government of the state of Jalisco has declared the 4th September as the official sexual health day. The office of the President of Mexico tweeted about WSHD so did the Health Ministry and several related institutions. The Press conference was held with the auspices of the Federal Commission against Discrimination. Sexual Health Day was supported in official proceedings in a speech by a representative of the PRI party in Mexico City (second largest group in the Legislative Assembly) and they have started advocacy to have it declared official day in Mexico City. One important milestone is that a Mexico Vivo, a large foundation originally instituted for supporting research in HIV in Mexico has revised its vision and mission to be the sexual health prevention for all the country, and they called for a national commitment to support the cause of sexual health including WAS sexual rights with businesses, government institutions and high visibility individuals. This was combined with the observation of Sexual Health day with large distribution of commemorative pins with this year's slogan.. We also printed and distributed the 2014 Sexual Rights declaration and distributed it widely in the CLASES Latin American Congress and the AMSSAC Mexican Congress. ISRAEL Israel posted some photos with people defining sexual health. ( see global facebook) CUBA Cuba organized through the Cenesex activities including games for the children and a concert. USA Sara Nasserzadeh organized the World Sexual Health Day, 2014 in NYC for the second time! Here is a video that shows synopses of the event from last year: They covered the declaration of sexual rights and had various entertaining and informative acts that showed aspects of personal and societal rights as they pertain to sexual health. She worked with an amazing group of volunteers and they were all very excited about getting the sex positive message out there. One section that was quite interesting is the section of the quiz which they asked people to print, fill in and bring with them to the event. They promoted the newly approved declaration of SRs this year as a part of the messaging although the theme was not directly named as such. To help people own their sexuality, they asked people to dress in colors to reflect the color of their sexuality and sexual wellbeing. September 4th was a very colorful night!!! They had poster presentations that displayed different forms of female genitalia to eradicate myths and promote the acceptance of diversity. There are series of media interviews that they were a part of (In the US and Canada) which they hope helped to promote WAS as an organization and also the website which holds valuable resources including our documents and the SR declaration. MIDDLE EAST: Countries that worked on organizing events for this year were: Turkey Lebanon Bahrein IRAN Activities for sexual health day 2014 in Iran: -They began their programs with holding the "The couple's sexual health" conference at Avicenna infertility clinic on Saturday 30th August. -During the Wednesday 3rd of September they had their program in Mashad for psychiatrics and family counselors. -Finally they had sexual health panel in Royan International congress in 4th of September covering slogan of sexual health day and we also addressed the sexual problems of infertile couples during the session. PAKISTAN On 4th September sexual health day was celebrated. On this occasion meeting was convened in fountain house. Director of sexual health institute of Pakistan DrMuhammad Harris

13 Burki introduced audience about significance of sexual health and its relationship with general health. Prof Khaliq urrahman underlined proper education system for sexual health. Dr Haroon Latif described importance of women sexual health. Sara Nasserzadeh was given her own show on the BBC World Service. As the program addresses sexual health issues, she discussed with them that they launch the show on the week of September 4th so it commemorates our WSHD as well! TUNISIA Tunisia celebrated with a round table and a special tv broadcast. SOUTH AFRICA Marlene Wasserman's plans for South Africa/Africa were: 1. Using Sara s adapted list, which she have adapted a little to be culturally competent, people was invited to fill this in. 2. People were invited to send a vlog/picture representative of their sexual health and answer according to 3 questions suggested by committee. 3. All this was pushed through Marlene's social media 4. She did a radio show on WSHD as well as sent out press release to media and was available for comment to all media. FINLAND In Finland they celebrated WSHD by opening a one-day sex advisor pop-in point in Helsinki downtown. The World Sexual Health Day on September 4th 2014 includes in Finland at least the following activities: To celebrate the World Sexual Health Day in September 4th the Finnish Association for Sexology is calling the members, co-workers and friends to participate the event by Newsletter and Facebook. Seksologinen-Seura/ We call people to make a short YouTube-video about sexual well-being and to send the link to the video to us so we can share it on Facebook. We also ask people on Facebook "What is Your definition of sexual well-being? " SWEDEN In Sweden Lotta and colleagues had a day with lectures with different perspectives on sexual health, slideshows on the theme, discussions with researchers, students and general public. As earlier year they gave time for networking. INDIA In India we have lined up FM Radio talks from 9 provinces on the 4th. News media were addressed on that day with WAS message. Two public awareness programs have been arranged in association with Rotary club. Another Awareness program has been arranged for NGOs in the area of Health and human rights in association with the "Family Planning Association of India". 7 CMEs on Sexual Health has been planned, in association with Indian Medical Association for Medical and Paramedical Professionals on 6th & 7th September SPAIN Felipe Hurtado Murillo reported that he coordinated three activities in Valencia: 1.- a conference directed to the parents and the teachers of an institution of primary and secondary education, that was dictated on May 14 to 40 persons, the title was: "sexual and reproductive rights 20 years after El Cairo", in that occasion they used the WSHD logo and they explained it 2.- on August, as a part of the Association of Specialist in Sexology (AES) activities, they videotaped this activity that aimed the Young students of the Valencia University. 12 students participated along with the professionals from the association. You can see the video in this YouTube link: Joining the efforts with the celebration of the world day for contraception (sept 24) Felipe and his gynecologist colleagues planed a conference day aiming mental, sexual and reproductive health professionals, disserting about sexual and reproductive health of the mentally ill persons. The attendees were 180, here are the links were you can find the video the television network of the college of nurses of the Valencia community made for the occasion: Reproducción,_anticoncepción_salud_mental We want to emphasize that more and more persons are asking for the events in their countries or asking if they can organize an event or for anyway they can celebrate and be a part of this day.

14 This report is based on the information we received and what we found in Facebook and twitter accounts. It is very possible that more countries organized a celebration. Please let us know in our so we can complement the report. This is becoming a global phenomenon indeed! Thank you for all the effort in making this celebration a great one. Best wishes Co-Chairs: Luis Perelman y Nadine Terrein- Roccatti See point (8) from this newsletter all complete WSHD lines in Spanish. WAS YOUTH INITIATIVE COMMITTEE (YIC) Ad hoc committee Chair: Antón Castellanos Usigli (México) Accomplishments of the WAS Youth Initiative in 2014 The WAS Youth Initiative Committee (YIC) was present at the joint EFS and ESSM Conference in Istanbul, Turkey early this year. The Symposium Sexual health for all: Reimaging sexual rights with youth participation and advocacy was attended by various sexual health activists from Europe and the Middle East. Stefano Eleuteri (Vice-Chair of the YIC) delivered a presentation entitled Sexual health in Europe: The state of the art and Katarzyna Peichert (YIC Member) delivered the following: Re-imagining sexual rights in Poland: NGO sector activity in the 21st century. In October of this year, Masayoshi Yanagida (YIC Member) and Antón Castellanos Usigli (Chair of the YIC) organized a Round Table of Discussion about Sexual Rights at the Asia-Oceania Congress of Sexology in Brisbane, Australia, that had the participation of students from Australia and Japan. The discussion was very lively and the participants agreed on important action points that the YIC can undertake to promote the new WAS Declaration of Sexual Rights among young people. Oceania became the fourth continent in which the WAS Youth Initiative organizes a Youth Round Table of Discussion within a regional sexology Congress. In November of this year, WAS Youth Initiative Committee also participated at the International Conference Challenges and everyday problems in contemporary sexology in Poznan, Poland. Katarzyna Peichert and Stefano Eleuteri facilitated a workshop entitled Sexual Health Resources and Challenges of the Youth in Poland and beyond. Contributors: Antón Castellanos Usigli Stefano Eleuteri Katarzyna Peichert 4- News from The Regions The WAS Federations with their regional biannual congresses take place in the alternating years. Here were the dates for the Regional Congresses in 2014 at this second newsletter Sept: FLASSES Punta Cana, DDominican Rep Oct: AOFS Brisbane, Australia EFS European Federation of Sexology 2014 News from the EFS Educational Committee: The EFS and ESSM Syllabus of Clinical Sexology This new Syllabus compiled by 59 leading experts in Sexology and Sexual Medicine is a textbook which covers all the different aspects of Clinical Sexology and the most important contents of the exam for the qualification in Sexology, the ECPS. This new exam was held for the first time in Istanbul before the joint ESSM-EFS congress on January 2014 and will take place each two years before ESSM Congress: the next meeting will be in Madrid (Spain) in The most effective treatments to restore a satisfying sexual life are included and discussed in the pages of this

15 new multidisciplinary manual that provides a new tool for psycho-sexologists. Focusing both on mind and body this book take into consideration also the entire life span and the cultural aspects. The Essm School of Medicine, since 2007, has been a joint venture between ESSM and EFS and has a 10 days programme intended for clinicians seeking to acquire knowledge and skills essential for both different experts: in Sexual Medicine and in Clinical Sexology with 2 different kinds of final exams and title. EFS was able to support 6 bursaries for psycho-sexologists intending to participate to the recent course held in Budapest from October! The feedback from attendees of this experience has been really very good! For further information, please the Programme Directors, Dr Cobi Reisman (essm.education[at]gmail.com < ) or Dr Francesca Tripodi (francitrip[at]hotmail.com < ) Congress participation and organization: On September 2014, within The 16th World Congress of Psychiatry, as usual, EFS promoted sexology, working with the Chair of Human Sexuality Section of WPA in 2 different symposia: Violence and Human sexuality and Human Sexuality Diversity: update. Our Past President Antonio Palha, Vice-President Kevan Wylie and I, Chiara Simonelli as President, have been involved as Speakers and/or Chairperson. The EFS Youth Group was also represented in this context by Dr. Giulio De Felice speaker on a new research (joint work between EFS and WPA) on the attitudes of sexologists towards sex. In the next Congress of ESSM in Copenhagen from 5 to 7 February 2015, a joint Round table EFS-ESSM has been organized with the interesting title of Novel approaches to Psychotherapy (EFS-ESSM interactive symposium). Our President of the Scientific Committee, Professor Salvo Caruso will chair this table with Doctor Evie Kirana while the speakers involved are: Francesca Tripodi, Pedro Nobre, Marieke Dewitte, and Kevan Wylie. The next venue for the EFS 2016 congress unfortunately has been moved from Jerusalem due to the difficulties of this period in that area, after consultation and suggestion with AIM, our PCO. Hopefully we will try to organize the next event in Croatia. Chiara Simonelli, President of EFS EFS/ESSM qualified psycho-sexologist (ECPS) - with mark of excellence C. Simonelli, (President of EFS), H. Porst, M. Sungur, Y. Reisman, E. Kirana, L. Lowenstein, F. Tripodi Published in "Sexologies : European Journal of sexology and sexual health" Volume 23, Issue 3, Pages (July September 2014) The European Federation of Sexology (EFS) founded in 1988 and the European Society for Sexual Medicine (ESSM) founded in 1995, have until today played a leading role in the promotion of research, exchange of theoretical knowledge and clinical skills in the field of human sexuality, at a European level. These two scientific societies have continuously and actively aimed to promote contributions of medical and psychological approaches in understanding sexual health and sexual disorders through research, education and promotion activities. Although both societies acknowledge and encourage the integration of biomedical information about sexual health and illness with current psychological knowledge, unfortunately their parallel efforts only occasionally ended up with opportunities of collaboration. Today, the need for specialists with a biopsychosocial therapeutic approach is considered necessary in order to provide a holistic, patient-centered management of sexual health problems. This principle has guided recent intense efforts of the EFS and ESSM to work together and share recourses, in order to develop European training standards in psycho-sexology and produce high quality multidisciplinary educational activities. Although this is with no doubt an ongoing challenge for both societies, the

16 first steps have been implemented with the establishment of the qualification as certified psycho-sexologist (ECPS), and providing educational activities and resources to support candidates preparing for the ECPS examination. These initiatives have followed the pathways already opened by the ESSM for the accreditation of physicians with the title of Fellow of the European Committee on Sexual Medicine (Reisman et al., 2013). In absence of European recognition of qualified sexologists, the first goal of this step was to build an homogeneous group of professionals who share a common scientific background and curriculum, to be recognized by the most important societies in the field and this list to be available for people who need help. The EFS and ESSM certificate of psychosexologist In June 2013, an Exam Committee for the ECPS was appointed by the ESSM and the EFS, in order to plan and implement the ECPS exam. The members of the committee [Mehmet Sungur, psychiatrist (Chair), Evie Kirana, psychologist (Cochair), Janico Georgiadis, neuroscientist, Tilmann Krueger, psychiatrist, Lior Lowenstein, gynecologist, Yacov Reisman, urologist, Francesca Tripodi, psychotherapist and Guy T'sjoen, endocrinologist] form a multidisciplinary team that worked together in order to define the eligibility criteria, the curriculum and the exam process for the ECPS qualification. The exam committee defined the curriculum as follows: history of the study of human sexuality, issues of intimate relationships, bio-psycho-social aspects of sexual development and the sexual response, diagnostic and therapeutic methods in psychosexual therapy, male sexual dysfunctions, female sexual dysfunctions, medical conditions and their relation to sexual function, other sexual disorders, and issues related to contraception and childbirth. Eligibility criteria for candidates to take the ECPS exam include: psychology degree or psychiatry degree or MD degree with academic psychotherapy degree, and postgraduate training in sexology (providing certificate) including supervised experience of at least 2 years (providing 2 letters of recommendation). The first ECPS exam took place in Istanbul on the 28th January 2014, one day before the first joint Congress of the EFS/ESSM. Applicants were assessed on 100 multiple choice questions and cut off scores were obtained based on the statistical distribution of total scores. Out of the 54 applicants, 43 successfully passed the exam and their name and country are publically available on Future applicants are encouraged to follow the ESSM and EFS website for future ECPS activities. EFS and ESSM educational activities and resources to support ECPS candidates The EFS and ESSM aimed to provide candidates for the ECPS exam with educational support in order to assist them in their preparation for the exam. The ESSM Educational Committee took a leading role in this by publishing the EFS/ESSM Syllabus of Clinical Sexology, and organizing a preparatory course for the ECPS exam. The EFS/ESSM Syllabus of Clinical Sexology is a comprehensive multi-author book covering all topics of the ECPS curriculum (Kirana et al., 2013). This book reflects the knowledge of 61 experts with various scientific backgrounds, contributing to a synthesis of today's state of the art knowledge on clinical sexology. The textbook and the CD-ROM were presented at the ESSM/ESSM Congress in Istanbul in January 2014, and is provided free of charge to all ESSM members. A 3-day intensive preparatory course just before the exam was provided by the ESSM educational committee. The aim was to give short but very update lectures on a broad range of topics according to the ECPS curriculum. This was also a great opportunity for candidates from different countries and different disciplines to meet and liase with each other. Almost all of the ECPS

17 candidates had signed up for the preparatory course and the feedback we obtained was very encouraging. A glance in the future We are very happy to have implemented the first ECPS exam and to now have 43 EFS/ESSM qualified psycho-sexologists from 15 different countries. However, we are mostly happy that this qualification is acknowledged, approved and supported by both scientific societies, thus reflecting the principals of multi-disciplinarity and scientific collaboration. Although crucial steps have been made, the sustainability of these and also their improvement is the challenge we are now facing. We are anticipating continuous work on the improvement of the qualification requirements and processes, so make sure you stay up to date on Finally, the ECPS exam Committee is most grateful to the ESSM and EFS Presidents for visioning and initiating this collaboration, the EFS and ESSM Executive Committees for their ongoing support and promotion of the exam, the ESSM Educational Committee for providing exam candidates with valuable educational resources, and the ESSM Executive Committee for the financial support of the exam's technical requirements. FLASSES FEDERACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA DE SOCIEDADES DE SEXOLOGÍA Y EDUCACIÓN SEXUAL CERTAIN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS RELATED TO FLASSES CONVENTION HELD IN PUNTA CANA On Friday September 12th, at 5:25 PM in the Bavaro Hotel of the Dominican Republic the General Convention of Flasses took place. On this meeting we treat an innumerable amount of topics during a period of four hours. In here we vote on the Report of the Statute modification, and we decide the voting format for the general convention, making decisions one topic at a time. Then this has to be completed afterwards by a final composition of the report, legal inscription in Venezuela and a definitive approval from the members of the assembly. Among some relevant topics, the assembly determined the number of members on the Executive board to be of 9 people: (President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, general secretary, Treasurer, first Chairperson, second Chairperson, third chairperson, and a Past President). Portuguese has been incorporated as an official language for Flasses. The location for the next Classes conference was selected, it will take place in Venezuela. The Assembly on its totality adopted W.A.S revision of the document on sexual rights, this is included as the first attachment on the minute. We leave to the Assembly s consideration the declaration of Punta Cana, which verses around a Holistic approach towards sexual education. We copy this declaration in order to be included as attachment number two on the minute. Dr Luis Perelman proposes the Settlement of September fourth, in agreement with WAS, as the date selected to celebrate World sexual health day. This follows the initiative from Rosemary Coates, Who is a member of WAS. A- New Authorities The selection of Flasses new authorities is listed below: President: Leon Roberto Gindin (Argentina) First Vice-president: Rafael Garcia Alvarez (Dominican Republic) Second Vice-president: Jaqueline Brendler (Brasil) Secretary: Luz Jaimes (Venezuela)

18 Treassurer: Felipe Hurtado Murillo (España) First Chairperson: Hilda Dinorah Machín García (Uruguay) Second Chairperson: María de los Ángeles Núñez (Ecuador) Third Chairperson: Ligia Vega Gamboa (México) Past President: Antonio Casaubón Alcaraz (España) DATA OF FLASSES NEW PRESIDENT, TO BE RECORDED BY WAS Dr. Leon Roberto Gindin B Update from the XVII Latin American Congress of Sexology and Sexual Education - FLASSES The XVII Latin American Congress of Sexology and Sexual Education (CLASES, 2014), held on September 10-14, 2014 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In this encounter, over 250 professionals from related areas of Sexology and Sexual Education, representing Latin American and European countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, UK, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela gathered to present the most recent advances and expertise in clinical aspects of sexology as well as new venues in research, not just in sexology but in sexual education. Congress activities began with the presentation of three courses. Dr. Fernando Bianco from Venezuela discussed different aspects of the Bianco s School in the management of sexual dysfunctions, Dr. Ricardo Cavalcanti from Brazil discussed the importance of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in human sexuality and the third course was presented by the Rosario Fadul, Ramon Almanzar, Fidel Valera and Josefina Romero, discussed the clinical Approach implemented at the Institute of Human Sexuality of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. The content of the lectures, courses and workshops focused on Sexual Education, Family, Clinical Sexology, Sexology and Endocrinology, Sexual Intelligence, Media and Sexuality, Sexuality and Geriatrics, Sexual Diversity, Violence and Sexual Abuse among others. The opening ceremony, held on Thursday, September 11, was headed by the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Mrs. Candida Montilla de Medina, president of the congress; also Carlos Amarante Baret, Minister of Education; Kevan Wylie, President of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS); Antonio Casaubon, President of the Latin American Federation of Sexology and Sexual Education (FLASSES); Dr. Fernando Bianco, President of the International Academy of Medical Sexology; Dr. Cesar Mella Mejias, President of the National Scientific Committee and the Dominican College of Neuropsychopharmacology; MSc. Rosario Fadul; Director of the Institute of Human Sexuality, Dr. Martha Arredondo, President of the Dominican Society of Sexology; and Dr. Rafael Garcia Alvarez, President of the Congress. This activity officially initiated the scientific program of the congress. A working group of the conference prepared "The Punta Cana Declaration" document which welcomes the Declaration of Sexual Rights of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS). The declaration was read at the closing ceremony, all participants approved such declaration on Sexual rights. The working group was aware of the implications of such declaration, therefore it reflects the principles established in the universal declaration of human rights as well as WAS declaration related to human sexuality and sexual health. Over 130 topics were presented by the speakers in different modalities such as: symposia, workshops, lectures, group s discussions and clinical presentation among other. The Congress ended with a farewell party themed allegorical Dominican carnival. Dr Rafael García Alvarez Congress President

19 C - Flasses Awards 2014 Dr Ruben Hernandez Serrano Report Punta Cana Host of the XVI Latin-American Conference of Sexology and Sexual Education (CLASES), Main event of FLASSES, presented on its opening session the MEDAL OF DISTINCTION IN LIFE, María Luisa Lerer an award proposed by the Member Societies. On this occasion, the Honor of receiving the medal belonged to CRISTINA TANIA FRIDMAN, from Argentina, Who currently is a member of WAS Advisor Committee Board. Her excellent job, encompassing the period spanning from 2006 until 2010, where monthly, never missing a deadline, she wrote FLASSES journal, makes her a deserving owner of this award. This publication has been used in different Graduate Schools. Her job as General Secretary of FLASSES will be hard to match. The standards are really high, and they have been published in the CD that FLASSES edited for Medellin s conference. This CD summarizes four years of a well documented history. The applause of the audience, confirmed, in presence of the first lady of Dominican Republic, the excellence of Cristina s work. Mrs. Fridman is now added to the list of medal winners. These medals where approved in Cuzco (Peru) in the year In the same fashion, THE SIX FLASSES AWARDS were given, respecting the unanimous decision of the jury. Now, as a result of unanimous agreement, the JUAN JOSE BORRAS AWARD (Presented in recognition to the defense of human rights) will be given. This award is in concordance with WAS statement presented in Valencia, Spain in Which was updated in New York in February of this year. This Statement, was printed and broadly distributed thanks to the job of Luis Perelman, from Mexico. CURRENT AWARDS -RICARDO CAVALCANTI AWARD to the most outstanding career on the field of sexology was awarded to DR RUBEN HERNANDEZ SERRANO. He was the president of Flasses on the 2006/2010 period, president of WAS from 1993 until 1997.Practiced as President of the International Academy of Sexual Medicine. He founded in Margarita s CLASSES conference of the year 2002 The Good Of Sex. He also worked as ex-president and founder of the psychiatry and human sexuality of Hamburg s WPA. He is the author of a great number of publications. -LEON ROBERTO GINDIN AWARD, for the work done in the last two years. This award was presented to TERESITA BLANCO LANZILLOTI, who stood out as coordinator of the educational programs and courses committee. These courses that are provided since 2004 have been showing a great success of attendance and participation in Lima, Peru. Her advertising in the NEWS has been informative and consistent. The courses are now a Staple for Flasses, and they continue incorporating new and young speakers. -ESTHER CORONA VARGAS AWARD To the most relevant and efficient educational program. This award was provided to the CENTER FOR PSYCHIATRIC AND SEXOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF VENEZUELA. This center educated over 60 medical sexologists, with a career that lasts 3 years and is recognized by the academic community. Moreover, it was one of the institutions that founded the SVSM, which is a fundamental pillar to the sexology and Sexual education of Venezuela; and it is now extended to Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and the USA. -FERNANDO BIANCO COLMENARES AWARD was handed to DR SANTIAGO CEDRES, from Uruguay, Member of CJS. His job on sexuality on the adult male became the best job presented in the conference. This job competed against jobs of great academic value.

20 HERNANDEZ RUBEN SERRANO, prize to be awarded to the best book published in the last two years, which corresponded to the DR ADRIAN SAPETTI, of Argentina, with book "SEX, a path to the shared pleasure" editorial read. Buenos Aires DR ANDRES CARO BERTA, from Uruguay, became the deserving owner of an honorific mention, for his book Five Theatre Plays The ANDRES FLORES COLOMBINO AWARD was declared Vacant. The board of ex-presidents of Flasses made a commitment to: review the rules and regulations of the awards, follow strictly the deadlines for the presentation of papers, as well as strengthening the dissemination and divulgation of the jobs and papers. The goal of this is to acquire a better level of participation in the conference to be held in Venezuela in Without further ado, we invite all the members of the sexological community to prepare your jobs, investigations, papers and other contributions. The Honor Honors. Dr Ruben Hernandez Serrano Past Presidente de FLASSES ; Ex Presidente WAS, SVSM, AISM Comprehensive sexuality education is necessary condition to achieve sexual health and, consequently, the full wellbeing of all people. The experts gathered at the XVII Latin American Congress of Sexology and Sexuality Education, held in Punta Cana from September , AFFIRM that comprehensive sexuality education: 1. Encompasses sexuality in all its aspects: biological, psychological and sociological in all its interactions 2. Is a process that lasts a lifetime and requires adjustments according to the age of the person and his/her level of development and understanding, and involves all social institutions. 3. Is based on sound scientific knowledge that supports every educational and information sharing initiative. 4. Is culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive, based on Sexual Rights and, therefore, Human Rights. 5. Facilitates reflective attitudes about the experiences and information received, encouraging responsible decision-making on an individual and social level. 6. Promotes the active participation of people and communities in determining their own lives. D- Comprehensive Sexuality Education THE 2014 PUNTA CANA DECLARATION The Declaration of Sexual Rights promoted by the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) and adopted by the Latin American Federation of Societies Dedicated to Sexology and Sexual Education (FLASSES), proclaims the right to comprehensive sexuality education: Every person has the right to comprehensive sexuality education, which should be age-appropriate, scientifically accurate, culturally appropriate, based on human rights and gender equality, with a positive approach to sexuality and pleasure. 7. Rescues the value of diversity, takes into consideration and values identities and expressions of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, social, and economic diversities, as well as people with different abilities. It recognizes the diversity of families and emotional relationships. 8. Broadly considers people's emotional aspects, complete development, wellbeing, satisfaction, pleasure and health. 9. Does not limit itself to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases, although it includes them and considers the importance and interest of these aspects on a personal and social level.