ISSUP National Chapter Advisory Committee Meeting 2022, Abu Dhabi

The ISSUP National Chapter Advisory Committee held its maiden in-person meeting as part of the series of side meetings that took place at ISSUP 2022 Conference in Abu Dhabi. The Advisory Committee was established last fall as an independent decision-making body with the main purpose of offering guidance to the global coordination of the ISSUP National Chapters. Its membership includes nominees from the National Chapter countries, the regional National Chapter Coordinators, and the Deputy Director of ISSUP.

What does a National Chapter seek to gain as a member of ISSUP? Presiding over the meeting, Mr Samuel Bettiol, the Chair of the Committee posed this question to the group, and this set the ball rolling on an extensive line of discussion. The Committee debated between prioritizing the establishment of new Chapters or focusing on supporting existing Chapters. The resulting consensus was to concentrate primarily on adding value to existing National Chapters. A recommendation was raised on the introduction of a mentoring system for new Chapters to encourage the transfer of knowledge and best practices.

Considering the marked differences between countries, the panel concluded that it was imperative to identify the needs of a National Chapter on a case-by-case approach in order to develop impact-driven interventions. The discussion resulted in a three-pronged action plan: (1) develop a survey for National Chapters (2) pilot the survey in pre-identified National Chapters and (3) collate feedback on the functionality of the survey. The survey is aimed at helping the Advisory Committee understand both the needs and expectations of ISSUP National Chapters.

Beyond the action plan, the Committee committed to regularizing their meetings and establishing a complementary framework to the effective functioning of the ISSUP National Chapters. The meeting ended on a successful note with the members highly enthused to deliver on their mandate.