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1. BACKGROUND 1.1. Introduction The Community Pharmacy Section of FIP

has, since its creation, been pro-actively

striving to meet its individual members

needs and expectations. More than

responding to demands, it has been

advancing pharmacy practice by

continuously monitoring societal demands.

In the 1990s, recognizing that pharmacists

needed additional knowledge of

pharmacotherapy, CPS started out by

producing educational booklets for its

members. Since then, it has coordinated

international practice research, encouraged

the dissemination of important concepts for

the profession such as pharmaceutical care,

and stimulated projects on the added value

of pharmacy1.

In 2007, the Community Pharmacy Section of

the International Pharmaceutical

Federation (FIP CPS) established its Strategic

Plan for 2007-2011. In that plan, the aims of

the Section as depicted in the Section

Statutes were described; the CPS mission

and vision were presented; and the

strategies to achieve those aims were

explored:

CPS aims

to improve the professional standards of pharmacy and encourage the

realisation of the social aims of the

profession as a contributor to public

health and as a pharmaceutical service

to the community;

to plan and be responsible for the activities of FIP in the field of

community pharmacy;

to provide and exchange information which will assist in the coordination

and improvement of the scientific,

technical and professional activities of

pharmacists in community pharmacy;

to organise meetings for members of the Section during and between FIP

Congresses: "World Congress of

Pharmacy" and "World Congress of

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical

Sciences";

to study and report upon matters of interest to pharmacists in community

pharmacy.

CPS mission

To assist pharmacists, wherever they live and practise, in the delivering of

medicines, health products and

services that will improve medicine use

and advance patient care.

Vision for CPS

To develop strong relationships with our individual members and our

member pharmaceutical associations

that have focus on community

pharmacists and other pharmacists

with primary care functions and

services;

To support pharmacists to fulfil their responsibilities towards society and

provide their services at a high

professional level;

To be a meeting point for pharmacists so that CPS can facilitate