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Historic

In 1920, after World War, Captain William S. BAINBRIDGE, MD (US NAVY) and General Jules VONCKEN, MD, Belgium suggested, at the 28^th session of the US Military Officers Association (AMSUS), the creation of an international organization of the Armed Forces Medical Services.

Historic

The ICMM is an international and intergovernmental organization,
constituted by more than 100 States.

Major General Jules VONCKEN, MD, Belgium
Founder and Secretary General of International Committee of Military Medicine
from 1921 to 1975

Captain William S. BAINBRIDGE,
(US NAVY)
Founder of International Committee
of Military Medicine

In 1920, after World War One had revealed the importance of a closer cooperation between the Armed Forces Medical Services worldwide, Captain William S. BAINBRIDGE, MD (US NAVY) and General Jules VONCKEN, MD, Belgium suggested, at the 28^th session of the US Military Officers Association (AMSUS), the creation of an international organization of the Armed Forces Medical Services.

The first international congress of military medicine and pharmacy was held in July 1921, in Brussels, Belgium.

The Permanent Committee of the International Congresses of Military Medicine and Pharmacy was officially founded on July 21, 1921.

The founding countries were :

Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

International Assembly of the Health Services of the Armies, Navies and Air Forces.
Liège - BELGIUM
18-21 July 1930

On May 21, 1952, the World Health Organization recognized the Committee as an "international organization specialized in medico-military matters".

On April 28, 1990, the Committee changed its name and became the INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF MILITARY MEDICINE (ICMM).

The Secretaries-General of ICMM:


Major General Jules VONCKEN, MD Secretary- General from 1921 till 1976	Colonel Jules MATHIEU MD Secretary- General from 1976 till 1982	Lt.-Colonel Marcel COOLS, MD Secretary- General from 1982 till 1998	Dr. Jacques SANABRIA Secretary- General from 1998 till 2011	Major General Roger VAN HOOF, MD Secretary- General from 2011 till 2019	Major General Geert LAIRE, MD Secretary- General from 2019 till today

Date of admission as Member of ICMM:

ICMM is an international and intergovernmental organization, constitued by members, observers and correspondents. All countries which are Members of the United Nations may become Members of the ICMM, by accepting its Statutes.

Admission is validated when the application is approved by the General Assembly.

By clicking this link, you can see the list of Member States and their dates of admission to the ICMM.

The World Congresses of ICMM:

To further the accomplishment of its missions, the ICMM shall organize periiodically, World Congresses of Military Medicine.
A Congress will be held in an ICMM Member State, normally on a biennial basis.

The objectives of the World Congresses are four-fold:
• Encourage official and personal relations between the Directors of the Military Medical Services, through an association (according to the desire of the organizing country) representatives of the Intergovernmental, International and Non-governmental Organizations the objects of which have the following points in common with the ICMM.
• Draw up a detailed study of contemporary knowledge or studies related to military medicine.
• Disseminate scientific information on the activities of the military medical services, and
• Supply a framework and the facilities to hold the statutory meetings of the ICMM (General Assembly, Working Group, etc.).

1921 - Brussels, Belgium 1923 - Rome, Italy 1925 - Paris, France 1927 - Warsaw, Poland 1929 - London, UK 1931 - The Hague, The Netherlands 1933 - Madrid, Spain 1935 - Brussels, Belgium 1937 - Bucharest, Romania 1939 - Washington, USA 1947 - Basel, Switzerland 1949 - Mexico, Mexico 1951 - Paris, France	1954 - Luxemburg, Luxemburg 1957 - Belgrade, Yugoslavia 1959 - Teheran, Iran 1963 - Caracas, Venezuela 1965 - Bangkok, Thailand 1969 - Dublin, Ireland 1971 - Brussels, Belgium 1973 - Bucharest, Romania 1976 - Lima, Peru 1980 - Santiago, Chile 1982 - Athens, Greece 1984 - Baghdad, Iraq 1986 - Marrakech, Morocco 1988 - Interlaken, Switzerland	1990 - Madrid, Spain 1993 - Istanbul, Turkey 1994 - Augsburg, Germany 1996 - Beijing, China 1998 - Vienna, Austria 2000 - Espoo, Finland 2002 - Sun City, South Africa 2004 - Washington, USA 2005 - St Petersburg, Russia 2007 - Tunis, Tunisia 2009 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2011 - Abuja, Nigeria 2013 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2015 - Bali, Indonesia 2017 - New Delhi, India 2019 - Basel, Switzerland


Interlaken, Switzerland 1988	Madrid, Spain 1990	Washington, USA 2004

Saint-Petersburg, Russia 2005	Tunis, Tunisia 2007	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2009

Abuja, Nigeria 2011	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2013	Bali, Indonesia 2015

New Delhi, India 2017	Basel, Switzerland 2019

ICMM activities include:

Military medicine as a whole,
Survey of techniques for assessing aptitudes,
Survey medicine,
Mass medicine,
Dentistry,
Military pharmacy,
Veterinary sciences,
Administration, organization and logistics of medical care missions.

The present goals include:

To maintain and to strengthen the bonds between all medical services of Member States,
To promote medico-military scientific activities,
To participate in the development of the medical and medico-military setting of humanitarian operations.

ICMM Reference Centre for Education on International Humanitarian Law and Ethics:

An ICMM Reference Centre for Education on International Humanitarian Law and Ethics has been created in 2011.
Founded by Switzerland, headed by Swiss officers, it is working under the authority of the Secretary General of the ICMM, under the supervision of the Chairman of the Scientific Council of the ICMM.

For more detailed information on the history of the creation of the ICMM Reference Centre for Education on International Humanitarian Law and Ethics, please click here.

More details are available at www.melac.ch

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HISTORIC: OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

Letter 1920 - Invitation to the 1^st Congress in 1921 (text in french)

Report of the 1^st Congress in 1921 (text in french)

Foundation of the Permanent Committee 1921 (text in french)

General Assembly of the 3^rd Congress in 1925 (text in french)

Copy of documents showing the origin of International Congresses (March 1938) (text in french)

WHO 1952 (text in english)

Agreement ICMMP-WHO 1952 (text in english)

ICMM recognition by the United Nations (text in english)

WHO: Approval - 5^th World Health Assembly (text in french)

Memorandum of understanding ICMM-WHO 2001 (text in english)