In 1996, the world psychiatric Association (WPA) had launched an international program to fight the stigma because of schizophrenia.

The 10th WPA meeting on 23rd – 28th of August 1996 in Madrid Spain issued(Madrid Declaration) for the Bill of Rights of the mentally ill. This declaration was further enhance in the 12th Congress of WPA on 24thy of August 2002 in Yokohama Japan.

A website has been designed www.openthedoors.com for further dissemination of information.

I happened to attend the two meetings, take part in the discussion and witness the declaration being adopted by all international, regional and local health organizations and psychiatric associations nationwide.

United Arab Emirates has been one of the countries that adopted the implementation of the declaration in the government hospital by launching successive campaigns in the past few years.

Now, the new iniative is coming from the private sector from Al Noor Hospital, a big and a new spirit seeking health care provider with outreach health facilities through out the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

This novel approach to a traditional problem is a giant step to over come the psychological barrier of taking psychiatry to the state of the art with other medical disciplines like genetic engineering – a unique combination that would change the image of psychiatry and quality of life for individuals and society at large.

Finally, please do join us with your great scientific contributions to make this international conference a landmark in the history of psychiatry in the new millennium.

Dr. El Zein Abbas Omara
Conference Convener
Consultant Neuropsychiatrist
MBBS, DPM (London) FRC Psych. (UK)
Head, Neuroscience Centre