Announcement for proposal of the 8th AHLA conference and the Decision to extend the terms
Hi, Dear Representatives and fellow of the AHLA Country Office and the EB membersI wish this finds you well.
Many of you will attend the coming 1st Global Health Literacy Summit, and as an affiliate of the International Health Literacy Association, the AHLA expects you and your colleague have a great event to evidence the global campaign toward “health literacy for all” in the coming few days.
The AHLA was established after the 1st health literacy conference in the region in Taipei, Taiwan in 2013.In the 2nd conference in New Taipei City in 2014 where the charter of the AHLA was signed by many delegates and participants. The AHLA was then installed in Geneva and legally established as an international NGO in July 2015 (No. ref 1048502015). Many of you have contributed significantly to the developments of the AHLA and participated in the following conferences in Tainan, Taiwan in 2015, the 3rd AHLA; Haiphong, Vietnam in 2016, the 4th AHLA; Kurla Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2017, the 5th AHLA; Taichung, Taiwan, in 2018, the 6th AHLA, and in Ho Chi Min, Vietnam in 2019, the 7th AHLA. In the 7th Conference, we had the conclusion to organize the 8th AHLA in 2020 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. However, the IHLA Global Health Literacy Summit was planned in 2020, coincided with the 8th AHLA Conference. We had an alternative plan to postpone the 8th AHLA to 2021, and to be organized by Manipal Higher Education Academy (MHEA) in India. I and several leaders of the AHLA have worked with the MHEA to prepare for the event to be held in 2021. The Covid-19 has stayed and continuously created impacts on our planet. The MHEA in last week declared that they would not be able to organize the Conference.
With these developments, and after consultation with vice president Carmen, Angela and Duong, I would like to announce the opening for proposal for organization of the 8th AHLA Conference in 2022, either in virtual or real format. The proposals shall be received before Nov., 10th, and will include the organizer, the potential dates, the city and country. We shall have the EB meeting before the end
of Nov. 30 to decide on the priorities of the proposals and a conclusion decided by the EBs by the end of Dec. 30th. We shall announce the proposed date of the 8th AHLA and the organizers by Jan 1st, 2022.
On the other hands, I propose the term of the president and vice presidents shall make an additional extension to serve to the end of 2022, after the 8th AHLA Conference accomplished and in the General Assembly have the new leadership and Executive Boards elected.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any comment or suggestions on these plans as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Peter Chang
President
AHLA
Oct 2nd 2021