The Forum of International Respiratory Societies’ mission is to promote global equity in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disease, to improve lung health. We do this through our own organisations, through advocacy and by working with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other global organisations representing the respiratory community.
FIRS members represent around 100,000 respiratory health professionals who set standards and advise specialists and primary care providers globally, amplifying their impact.
Our primary activity is global advocacy, particularly in preventing diseases caused by tobacco and air pollution. Our main goal is to raise awareness about the importance of lung health and the global burden of respiratory disease.
FIRS was established in 2001 by leading international professional respiratory societies: the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American Thoracic Society (ATS), Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), Asociación Latino Americana De Tórax (ALAT), European Respiratory Society (ERS), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (The Union), and Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS). The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) joined in 2017.
Our constitution