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According to the recent WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities, approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide live with significant disabilities, and far too often, they face avoidable inequalities such as limited access to healthcare services, systemic biases, and physical, social, and institutional barriers. Addressing these injustices is not only a moral imperative but also a necessity to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mental health is fundamental to overall well-being, enabling individuals to navigate life's challenges, realise their potential, and contribute meaningfully to their communities. However, for individuals with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH), the path to mental well-being is often obstructed by societal stigma, discrimination, and a lack of adequate support systems.

With a new IF statement, IF stands as a precursor with its long-time focus on rehabilitation. Indeed, almost thirty years ago, IF contacted the World Health Organization and proposed to work together for producing a guide for mid-level rehabilitation workers, to be used for children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SBH).

Collaboration of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus with the European Association of Urology (EAU), ERN eUROGEN, and the ERN ITHACA on person centred paediatric urological guidelines for spina bifida. It is a unique collaboration whereby we actively involve persons with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus and their families to improve the existing guidelines in making them more patient centred. In this way, the spina bifida and hydrocephalus community is actively involved in the development of this survey study from the beginning onwards.

The IF members training “From local to global - how to influence international actions through national advocacy” taking place on May 6 2022 provided an overview of key concepts and processes of international organisations.

IF Annual Report 2021 highlights all of IF activities and achievements of the past year. The year 2021 was an active one with many activities and challenges. Some of the activities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, IF organised its activities in a digital format. These activities such as an escape room meeting, training opportunities, international awareness days, and the IF conference for persons with SBH on multidisciplinary care were well-received. Here, in this annual report 2021, the actions achieved for human rights, primary prevention, optimising management and care, raising awareness, as well as international solidarity are highlighted.