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ESCP President's report

2021– 2022 The end of September 2021 was a very special time for me when Evangelos Xynos handed over his Presidency at the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP). The virtual nature of the meeting reminded us all that he and the Executive Board had steered the Society safely and successfully through turbulent times. The COVID pandemic, with its restrictions on inperson meeting, had imposed unprecedented challenges to our Society, whose focus had been its annual meeting. With the end of my 2021– 2022 term as President, it is now time to share some reflections. It has been a very interesting journey, one full of novel experiences and new insights. Our Society's mission is to promote and advance the science and practice of coloproctology in Europe and beyond. Although over the years several research and educational activities have been launched at multiple occasions throughout the year, the main vehicle of engagement was the annual meeting. The COVID era threatened the fulfilment of the Society's mission. Even its economic viability could be prone to risk. The need for transformation of the classic model of a society centred around one annual meeting became obvious. The years 2019– 2020 and 2020– 2021 were more about amelioration of the immediate consequences of COVID; the period since September 2021 has been focused on how to position the Society in a changing environment with different needs and demands. While addressing easy access to high quality information, the Society must also take into account changing expectations and attitudes of its members (e.g., a broadened acceptance of online learning, an increasingly competitive field of educational offerings, a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of air travel, and an increased desire to address and fulfil the principle of diversity). This all took place in a time of high uncertainty: COVID'S course remained (and remains) unpredictable. The only certainty is that the evolution of events will lead to something new, something different from what we were used to, something to which we have to adapt and learn to understand. The terrible Ukraine war, collectively deeply concerning and appalling the Trustees and Executive Board, has added to the level of uncertainty. The ESCP is multinational and multicultural, united by each member's common interest in the field of coloproctology. It is inclusive and diverse, a home to a network of experts and learners, and strives for easy and broad access to the highestquality content. Over the last year these assets were evidenced in multiple activities clearly aiming to transform ESCP into one of the leading platforms of knowledge exchange and multinational research in our field of coloproctology and to reach beyond the boundaries reflected by our ‘European’ designation. Ongoing activities were accelerated, others initiated. In the end, the collective effort, expertise and experience of our active members contributed to considerable progress in diversifying the offers of the Society by multiple activities and an impressive output of the ESCP committees (Communication, Education, Guidelines, Membership, Programme, Research) and the programme of our annual meeting. The Communication Committee's role is central to the ESCP. With crossrepresentation from every other committee, it is instrumental not only in disseminating their content but also in generating a crucial connection with external partners in publishing and in producing highly relevant contemporary content. It was very active throughout the year: #operationequalaccess, launched in June, had 55 494 video impressions, 144 posts, 862 774 impressions; and a new platform on WeChat was created. The social media subcommittee (SoMe) was strengthened: they commissioned a new member app; they presented the ESCP Collecting Opinions on Sustainable Surgery global survey at ESCP 2021, Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) 2022, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland 2022; and further publicized the survey in an ASGBI webinar on Diversity and Inclusion. A constant increase of followers on Twitter and Instagram is a testament to the success of the Communication Committee. In an environment heavily based on communication, its future importance to ESCP cannot be overstated. Under the Education Committee's umbrella multiple activities took place throughout the year, all aiming to enhance the Society's offerings in education and training: fellowships, masterclasses, handson courses, activities of the European School of