Nearly 70 years after its inauguration, the World Confederation for Physical Therapists (WCPT) transformed into World Physiotherapy on 30 June 2020 with the launch of their new website at www.world.physio.
The idea of creating an international body began in 1948 when Physical Therapists from a number of countries met to discuss the possibility. With a positive response, a provisional Committee was established.
WCPT’s founders saw a need for an international organisation to give guidance to the profession, the United Nations and the international voluntary organisations sponsoring rehabilitation programs. And it would aim to promote the international exchange of professional and scientific knowledge.
The inaugural meeting was held in Copenhagen in 1951, where a constitution was drafted and approved by the 11 founding members from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finnish, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America.
For the first ten years, WCPT had no regular income, depending on voluntary donations from its member-organisations and occasional grants for other international bodies. Administrative and secretarial services were provided on an honorary basis by the Secretary of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in Great Britain. An annual per capita subscription was established in 1961, with a separate office and a salaried Secretary-General. At this time, it also entered into official relations with the United Nations and those of its agencies such as the World Health Organisation, and forged links with other voluntary international bodies like Rehabilitation International and the World Medical Association.
World Physiotherapy has grown significantly from its beginnings and now has 121-member organisations, representing more than 625,000 physiotherapists worldwide. A timeline of significant events including the year of membership of each member organisation is available at https://world.physio/history.
