Geneva, Switzerland – May 19, 2025—Yesterday, the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care (G4 Alliance) presented its Decennial Report, “10 Years of Impact,” during the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the Global Surgery Movement. This landmark event, hosted alongside the 78th World Health Assembly in collaboration with the International College of Surgeons, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland.

The G4 Alliance Decennial Report chronicles a decade of transformative progress in global surgery, highlighting the organization’s pivotal role in advancing equitable access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical, obstetric, trauma, and anaesthesia (SOTA) care worldwide. Since its public launch in May 2015, the G4 Alliance has grown from 20 founding member organizations to a global coalition uniting stakeholders across sectors to address the critical need for surgical care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where over 5 billion people lack access to essential services.

Key milestones highlighted in the report include:

– The 2015 Lancet Commission on Global Surgery was a turning point that underscored the global surgical care gap and galvanized action, with the G4 Alliance as a key contributor.

– Successful advocacy for World Health Assembly resolutions to prioritize surgical care, influencing global health policy.

– The creation of InterSurgeon, an online platform fostering partnerships and collaboration among global surgery stakeholders.

– Establishing regional initiatives, such as the Latin America and Caribbean Working Group, has driven knowledge sharing, simultaneous interpretation at events, and the adoption of tools like the Operative Encounter Registry (OER).

The 2024 Second Symposium on Public Policies and Advocacy in Latin America, hosted with Operation Smile and the Pan American Health Organization, will address healthcare inequities in border regions.

– The launch of the Burns Working Group in 2022, advancing evidence-based strategies to expand surgical services.

– The Operative Encounter Registry and Community of Practice (OER-CoP) is a transformative initiative developed under WHO guidance. The OER, a software platform hosted within WHO’s DHIS2 database, is set to be piloted in over two dozen hospitals across low- and middle-income countries in 2025. It aims to enhance surgical data collection, driving patient-centered, data-driven, and locally-led improvements in healthcare systems. The OER powers a Community of Practice, facilitated through the Project ECHO Model, connecting doctors, international medical societies, academics, nonprofit representatives, and corporate executives with local health workforces to implement actionable quality improvements.

The Decennial Report also outlines innovative projects shaping the future of global surgery, with the OER-CoP exemplifying the G4 Alliance’s commitment to data-driven solutions. The G4 Alliance’s efforts to expand its “big tent” coalition ensure continued collaboration with international organizations, governments, and civil society to build a truly global community for SOTA care.

“The global surgery movement has achieved incredible gains over the past decade, transforming the lives of millions through collective action and innovation,” said Claudio Tanca, Executive Director of the G4 Alliance. “This report reflects on our progress and sets a bold vision for the future, where no one is left behind in accessing essential surgical care.”

“The International College of Surgeons is honored to partner with the G4 Alliance in marking a decade of remarkable progress in global surgery. The Decennial Report highlights the strength of our shared commitment to equitable surgical care, and we look forward to continued collaboration to ensure accessible, high-quality healthcare for all,” said Dr. Guido Parquet, International College of Surgeons World President.

The Tenth Anniversary Celebration will bring together global health leaders, policymakers, surgeons, and advocates to reflect on a decade of progress and envision the next phase of the global surgery movement. Attendees will be able to engage with the findings of the Decennial Report and explore pathways to strengthen surgical care access and quality worldwide.

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About the G4 Alliance

The Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care (G4 Alliance) is a coalition of organizations that advocate for increased access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care worldwide. As the only global coalition focused specifically on SOTA care, the G4 Alliance collaborates with international organizations, governments, and communities to address the global surgical care gap and improve health outcomes for all. See: https://theg4alliance.org/ 

About the International College of Surgeons

The International College of Surgeons is a surgical society with individual sections on every continent. It was founded in Geneva in 1935 by Dr. Max Thorek to build a bridge between surgeons of all countries, without discrimination of home, creed, or race, and to contribute to the development of surgery throughout the world. The ICS humanitarian program aims to promote medical and especially surgical care in neglected societies in a sustainable manner. To this end, local resources are to be developed and trained. The aim is not to import highly specialized medicine, but to focus on promoting basic and emergency surgery in line with the WHO’s Global Initiative for Essential and Emergency Surgical Care (GIEESC) initiative. See: http://www.icsglobal.org.