The Public Health Association of South Africa extends a warm invitation to our 14th annual conference. This year we travel to the scenic town of Parys in the North West Province, which will provide the setting for local and international public health practitioners from diverse backgrounds, to engage on the critical issues that impact health and health care delivery in South Africa and beyond. The conference programme will feature expert plenaries and panel discussions, oral and poster research presentations, skills development workshops, and the opportunity to engage with special interest groups.

In commemoration of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 70th anniversary celebration, the theme for this year’s conference is “Health For All- Thinking Globally, Acting Locally.” Since its establishment in 1948, “Health For All” has been an underlying objective of the WHO and its member states; traversing strategic milestones from the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978 and the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, to the Sustainable Developmental Goals in 2015. We hope that this theme will stimulate robust discussions on progress made, critical reflections on the challenges encountered, and vibrant dialogue on how to move closer to a world where all people are able to attain a state of health that enables them to lead socially and economically productive lives.