The world has been locked down after last March. Life in many countries is coming to a standstill due to SARS-CoV-2, who generated the pandemic Covid-19.

What makes this pandemic different from other ones is that we did not want to recognize and investigate this known risk further. The risk was always there. And available in a global world where information (authentic and fake) is transmitted practically in real-time. Assimilating this information is not an easy task for many people, especially in uncertain times. Most governments around the world reacted late and even
badly, at least at the wrong time. We need a common strategy for these types of latent risks, a portfolio that defines priorities and programmes that align the projects necessary to address the challenges.

We cannot leave our politicians, our institutions, our companies, and other responsible groups alone. Now is the time when we must share even more benefits of our profession. A profession in which success is based on personal and social skills (people-focused), understanding of(perspective focused) and technical skills (practice focused). For this, we need a common strategy, more and better projects, programmes, and portfolios. And above all, we need more competent directors/managers of these projects, programmes, and portfolios.

At the International Project Management Association (IPMA), we, currently with 72 national Member Associations worldwide, are going to do it. We are the first network for the project management profession worldwide, active for more than 56 years. We represent a professional network that promotes excellence in projects, programmes, and portfolios, supporting individual, organisational, and project management competences. IPMA has global standards in place that define all of these.

All these competences are needed at this difficult time. A time where regional and local networks must collaborate more closely, addressing the specific challenges of the region or local environment minimising the crisis impact.

All of us today must be more disciplined and rigorous than ever. In our respective fields as professionals and individuals, we must protect others by protecting ourselves. It requires us to prioritise others above ourselves. We must stay together by contributing facts, not fictions, reality instead of falsehoods, and simply doing the right things. One day at a time.

It is time to show that we are what we say at IPMA: proud to be part of the IPMA Family, a family of professionals who build relationships for life, far beyond institutional relationships. Ready to tackle difficult challenges of the future.

The COVID-19 crisis will provoke both ideological and economic earthquakes: we are moving towards a new horizon. We need to begin to build just now, at this very moment, with the social, economic, and political measures taken to solve this global crisis in each country and region. Hiding out and thinking that „it will clear itself soon” or „that everything can be solved with individual responsibility and selfdiscipline only” may not be the right approach for many individuals. But now, even more than ever, programme and project management, and portfolio direction are more necessary to be implemented. Naturally, by competent project managers. A new global scenario and „a new world” is coming, and we cannot ignore it. We are here – 72 nations, to help in this process and to do it sustainably.

IPMA President Dr. Jesus Martinez Almela highlights that the most important thing at the moment is to take care of your and our physical and mental health. We at IPMA have had to adapt everything very quickly to the new situation: structure, operations, projects, regulations, events, certification, relationship with our Associations and key stakeholders with the same objective: to win this battle against COVID-19 and build the desired, common and sustainable tomorrow. We can only do this together. We will continue as IPMA to develop competent professionals, committed and used to sharing valuable insights for our common good. Just as we have done for more than half a century. And now even in a much more virtual world, addressing a new reality.

Jesus Martinez Almela, IPMA President
VIRTUAL IPMA COUNCIL OF DELEGATES MEETING, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2020