Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Ghana

FIGO has developed from an association speaking to 42 national social orders - who went to the establishing meeting on 26 July 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland - into a really worldwide association.

Educator Hubert de Watteville, conceived and taught in Berne, Switzerland (1907-1984), was the 'establishing father' of FIGO, a magnetic figure, exceedingly viewed as a gynecologist and obstetrician by numerous residential and remote patients, including big names. His work focused on endocrinology and on psychosomatics in gynecology.

In 1978, De Watteville himself described the process of the foundation of FIGO as follows:

‘Before the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics was created, international congresses had been held in 1898 in St Petersburg and 1938 in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam it was decided to hold another world congress in 1942 in Berne, Switzerland, but World War II made it impossible. In May 1950, Professor Fred Adair from Chicago and Professor Howard C Taylor Jr from New York organized a congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology in New York that was attended by a great number of foreign guests. This congress was the last in a series of congresses held in the United States by Dr Adair under the auspices of the American Committee on Maternal Welfare (the forerunner of ACOG), and was designed by him as the Fourth American and the First International Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology. During this congress it was decided to create an International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. This federation was to organize world congresses at regular intervals, with the first to be held in 1954, if possible, in Switzerland. The foundation meeting of FIGO was to take place at this 1954 congress. Dr F L Adair (USA) and Dr H C Taylor (USA), Dr L Gerin - Lajoie (Canada), Dr F Ch van Tongeren (The Netherlands) and I (H de Watteville, Switzerland) were asked to prepare a draft constitution. The Swiss Society of Gynecology accepted the responsibility of organizing the World Congress, chose Geneva as the site, and nominated me as the president of the Congress.’