JOIN A NATIONAL WORKING GROUP (NWG)

Anyone interested in global surgery is eligible to join a National Working Group (NWG) with InciSioN. This includes young individuals from a variety of health-related backgrounds such as medicine, nursing, occupational health, biomedical or medical engineering, and public health. NWGs welcome participants at any level, from students to trainees, residents, or early-career professionals. In essence, if you are passionate about global surgery and have a relevant background, you are encouraged to join and contribute to this impactful movement.

Working in a National Working Group (NWG) with InciSioN offers the unique opportunity to address the challenges and needs of global surgery at a local level. Global surgery priorities vary widely across different countries and regions, and NWGs allow you to adapt core global surgery concepts to meet the specific needs of individual nations and their healthcare systems. With NWGs active in all five WHO regions, you can make a tangible impact within your local community, building support for global surgery among public and governmental sectors. This grassroots approach is the foundation of our movement, driving sustainable, locally supported change in global surgery.

There are very few reasons not to work with a National Working Group (NWG), as they are often the most effective avenue for making tangible, locally-focused change in global surgery. NWGs play a critical role in grassroots advocacy, directly engaging with their respective ministries of health to foster national-level support. 

However, if establishing or sustaining a NWG isn’t feasible—whether due to limited resources, time, or commitment—this can hinder both the NWG's progress and the InciSioN network as a whole. Sustaining each NWG is essential, as the strength of InciSioN’s impact relies heavily on the collective power of these groups. Therefore, those considering NWG involvement should be prepared to contribute consistently to its strategic plans and activities to support the network's goals effectively.

National Working Groups (NWGs) generally operate in their local languages to better connect with their communities, as this approach fosters greater engagement with local populations. However, for inter-NWG communication and collaboration within the larger InciSioN network, English is the official language. Using local languages—or a bilingual approach—when conducting public-facing activities is encouraged, especially when engaging general audiences, such as local government or the general public, to ensure accessibility and inclusivity. This approach balances local relevance with broader institutional coherence.

Additionally, InciSioN welcomes NWG proposals to translate specific documents, statements, or toolkits into local languages. We require each NWG to reach out individually to vpnwg@incisionetwork.org if they have identified any InciSioN Document they would be keen to translate. Full recognition to the respective National Working Group for the translation is given. 

For annual advocacy campaigns, we provide NWGs with graphic templates in our toolkits as resources which NWGs can adapt and translate into their local languages, maximizing the campaign's impact and reach across diverse communities.