Receive the warmest welcome from the Colombian Association of Surgery, as the host country of the 19th WCES, 25th FELAC and 49th National Surgical Week, which will take place from October 31 to November 3, 2023 .

Cartagena de Indias is a historic city, on the Colombian Atlantic Ocean. It has preserved its walls and fortresses that served to defend the city from attacks from the sea, 4 centuries ago. Attendees will be able to discover the hidden mysteries of the city, its gastronomic wealth and it is a perfect escape on the Caribbean Sea in the middle of hectic work days. Visitors will discover the ingenious designs of the walls that allowed from within the city to observe the movement on the ocean without being seen from the outside… something that would possibly be the ancestors of endoscopic vision!

This Congress will allow updating knowledge on different topics and especially in the rapidly changing world of endoscopic surgery, also integrating our Latin American countries with all their advances. Everyone is welcome and enjoy an unforgettable Congress!

Is a big honor and pleasure, as current IFSES president, to address to you and to invite to the next 19th IFSES World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery, to be held next month of October, in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). This meeting will be held concurrently with the 49th Congress of the Colombian Society of Surgery as well with the 25th FELAC meeting. The simultaneity of the 3 meetings assure a large audience, and is a wonderful seed for a World Congress. IFSES cordially invites to all the associated societies of others continents to help in the effort to convert this 19th IFSES Congress in a really World Congress. In fact, it will be the 1st World Congress after the pandemic, without mask and absolutely freedom to travel. Barcelona (2021) and Busan (2022) suffered the limitations of the pandemic, but in Cartagena we will freely enjoy again of a high level science meeting, knowledge interchange and friendship between world surgeons, under the warm hospitality of the Colombian colleagues.

On behalf of IFSES, let me cordially invite you and your colleagues to meet next oct 31st, Nov 1-2-3 in Cartagena, and also to help IFSES to increase the knowledge and dissemination of Minimally Invasive Surgery around the world.

Don't miss this great opportunity to renew knowledge, share experiences and strengthen friendships ¡Hope to see you all there!

¡Greetings!

It is a pleasure for me to be able to bring together these three entities that are nationally and internationally recognized and that have contributed significantly to the advancement of surgical techniques. We want to have an impeccable academic program and that we manage to bring together not only surgeons, but everyone who has an interest in the field of surgery. We hope to have your kind attendance and to be part of the event that will have an attendance of more than 3500 people from all over the world.