IASP Global Year
2026 | Global Year on Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is a significant global health issue, affecting an estimated 7 to 10 percent of the population, which equates to millions of people worldwide. Neuropathic pain can lead to significant disability and reduced quality of life, yet it often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Many outside the pain field may not recognize how neuropathic pain connects to common conditions such as sciatica and diabetic neuropathy, or how it intersects with diseases and injuries that disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations, including HIV, Leprosy, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1), and nerve injuries from complex polytrauma, such as the after-effects of explosive remnants of warfare. These links build on themes explored during the 2025 Global Year, highlighting how neuropathic pain reflects and amplifies global health inequities.
The 2026 Global Year on Neuropathic Pain presents an opportunity to reflect on what we currently know, examine the limitations of available treatments and gaps in knowledge, and consider priorities for future research and potential therapies. Our efforts will highlight two subthemes:
- Creating, synthesizing, and using best evidence
- Advancing toward precision medicine in neuropathic pain
IASP and its partners will develop fact sheets that help explain neuropathic pain in plain language, offer webinars on a variety of subtopics related to neuropathic pain, and spotlight research about neuropathic pain being published in IASP’s journals.
Directlink to the IASP-Website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
2025 | Global Year on Pain Management, Education and Research in Low- and Middle-Income Settings
This Global Year theme is consistent with our mission statement: “IASP brings together scientists, clinicians, healthcare providers, and policymakers to stimulate and support the study of pain and to translate that knowledge into improved pain relief worldwide.” Inevitably, a major focus will be on Low—and Middle-Income countries, where 83% of the global population resides. However, in this context, the word “settings” is used to include not only Low- and Middle-Income Countries but also disadvantaged populations in high-income economies.
Directlink to the IASP-Wesbsite
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
2024 | Global Year of Sex and Gender Disparities in Pain
Although there is evidence of sex-specific differences in pain perception and modulation in humans and non-human mammals, many preclinical studies still do not consider sex as a variable.
The IASP and we as national representatives will publish what is known about sex differences in pain perception and modulation during 2024. In addition, our annual congress this year on November 14 and 15, 2024 at the Kultur- und Kongresshaus in Aarau is dedicated to the Global Year theme.
Together, we can find better ways to combat such inequalities and ultimately help improve pain management. Visit the IASP-Website for more information about the Global Year on “Sex and Gender Disparities in Pain” and attend our Annual Congress in Aarau.
Directlink to the IASP-Website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
Statements of support for 2024
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.
2023 | Global Year for Integrative Pain Care
IASP defined integrative pain management as the temporally coordinated, mechanism-guided, individualized, and evidence-based integration of multiple pain management interventions.
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you can find all important information about the current topic)
At our Annual Congress on Friday, November 10, 2023 in Lausanne, we addressed this very topic.
In keeping with IASP Global Year 23, the SGAIM gathered in Basel at the Spring Congress, May 10-12, 2023, with the theme “Together for better care.” As a guest society, the Swiss Pain Society was represented with a workshop, a lecture in the side program, and a State of the Art Lecture in the main program, raising awareness of “Chronic Pain as a Disease in Its Own Right” among general practitioners.
2022 | Global Year for Translating Pain Knowledge to Practice
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
Webinar Series 2022
(Free webinars on the current topic)
Statements of support for 2022
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.
2021 | Global Year About Back Pain
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
Webinar Series 2021
(Free webinars on the current topic)
2020 | Global Year for the Prevention of Pain
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
Webinar Series 2020
(Free webinars on the current topic)
Statements of support for 2020
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.
2019 | Global Year Against Pain in the Most Vulnerable
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you will find all important information on the current topic)
Factsheets in German
(Translation of the three German-speaking pain societies, including the SGSS)
Webinar Series 2019
(Free webinars on the current topic)
SGSS participation in the Global Year
=> Join our SGSS Annual Congress 2019 – Sunday, 16 June 2019, Education Day of the 12th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain in Children (see www.ispp2019.org)
Statements of support for 2019
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.
2018 | Global Year for excellence in pain education
The IASP dedicates 2018 to the “Global Year for excellence in pain education”
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you can find all important information about the Global Year)
Webinar Series 2018
(Free webinars on the topic)
2017 | Global year against pain after surgery
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you can find all important information about the Global Year)
Factsheets in German
(Translation of the three German-speaking pain societies, including the SGSS)
FAQs 2017
(Frequently asked questions on this topic)
Statements of support for 2017
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.
2016 | Global Year Against Pain in the Joints
Direct link to the IASP website
(Here you can find all important information about the Global Year)
Factsheets in German
(Translation of the three German-speaking pain societies, including the SGSS)
Statements of support for 2016
The following companies support our campaign this year by acknowledging the importance of this issue.