Maastricht Convention Bureau and MECC Maastricht are pleased to announce that MECC Maastricht will be welcoming the World Congress on Women’s Mental Health (IAWMH) in 2027. The news was officially announced by Prof. Jayashri Kulkarni, President of the IAWMH, on International Women’s Day this past Friday in Paris during the eighth edition of the congress. For four days in March 2027, MECC Maastricht will host this event with a full focus on women’s mental health. The international congress is attended each year by around 1,200 clinicians and researchers from all over the world.
Founded in 2001 to improve the mental health of women everywhere, the IAWMH’s goal is to set up a network of national and international communities. The important parties lending their support to this event are Dimence, Netherlands Psychiatric Association, Radboudumc, Riga Stradins University, WOMENS Inc. and UMCG.
Patricia van Wijngaarden-Cremers (MD PhD), Prof. Rutger Jan Van der Gaag (MD PhD) and Prof. Iris E. Sommer (MD PhD) are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to form the 2027 IAWMH National Organizing Committee. These three committee members have ample experience in organising international conferences, and will be taking the lead on the organisation of this prestigious event, together with MECC Maastricht and Klinkhamer Group.
In the run-up to the arrival of the large international congress, the intention is to set up a Dutch branch of the IAWMH together with WOMENS Inc. and other women’s organisations in the Netherlands. This association of public health employees and experts in the field wants to organise a regional European congress in Maastricht every two years (in the alternating years the IAMWH isn’t held). In so doing, the association aims to keep the momentum going, reinforce the European network and over the years, to solidify the commitment for the 2027 edition of IAWMH in Maastricht.
Located in the heart of the Euregion, Maastricht is often called the most European city in the Netherlands. With eight international airports nearby, the city is easily accessible from anywhere in Europe. MECC Maastricht will be undergoing a substantial upgrade and expansion in the next two years, involving a total investment of around 49 million Euros. Thanks to this upgrade and expansion, the MECC Maastricht will be able to be of even better service to organisers of international conferences lasting several days and for events for up to 5,000 guests.