The Mellin-Olsen Declaration on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

A Call to Action for a More Inclusive Anaesthesiology

Two decades since the founding of the ESAIC, this year’s Euroanaesthesia is more than an anniversary. It’s a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come and to commit to where we need to go next. For over twenty years, ESAIC has shaped education, strengthened patient safety, and built a professional community that spans borders and generations. But progress without equity is incomplete. And now, ESAIC takes this very significant step toward inclusion and justice within our field.

At this year’s Opening Ceremony, ESAIC presents the Mellin-Olsen Declaration on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This declaration, developed by a working group of dedicated ESAIC members including Sarah Saxena, Mia Gisselbaek, Joana Berger-Estilita, Else-Marie Ringvold, Idit Matot, and Wolfgang Buhre, is both a call to action and a long-overdue commitment. It responds to a reality many in anaesthesiology have lived with for years: that despite clinical and scientific excellence, inequities in representation, opportunity, and access continue to persist. This Declaration acknowledges that equity doesn’t emerge from good intentions alone, but requires deliberate, often uncomfortable, work.

The story of this Declaration began not in a boardroom but scribbled on a simple piece of paper during Euroanaesthesia 2023 in Glasgow. What followed was a gathering of colleagues — clinicians, educators, early-career professionals, and senior leaders — who came together in a backroom at Euroanaesthesia 2024 in Munich, united by a shared commitment to progress. This bottom-up initiative exemplifies how collective action can lead to meaningful change.

A critical concern driving this work is the persistent underrepresentation of women and ethnic minorities in leadership, academic, and research roles across our field. Despite having equal aspirations, women still account for only 20 to 30% of first authors in anaesthesia journals, and they remain a minority in clinical guideline authorship. The DEI Declaration explicitly aims to address this, with a measurable focus on sex equity and wider geographical representation.

It also carries the name of someone whose voice made space for this work to begin. Dr. Jannicke Mellin-Olsen was a relentless advocate for patient safety and social responsibility. Her leadership helped establish the Helsinki Declaration, and her life’s work was marked by a refusal to accept exclusion or inequity as inevitable. Until her passing in 2025, she was committed to challenging the status quo. Naming this Declaration after her is a tribute to her dedication, but it’s also a continuation of the values she championed and a recognition that the path we walk today was shaped by her persistence and vision.

What makes the Mellin-Olsen Declaration so significant is its clarity and resolve. It sets out a path ESAIC is committed to following. A path anchored in fair and inclusive leadership, equitable access to education and research, more accessible and welcoming events, meaningful advocacy, honest internal reflection, and the courage to evolve. These priorities are the foundation of a cultural shift that depends on intentional leadership and a willingness to challenge systems that have left too many behind. Inclusion becomes how we define excellence going forward.

This is a profession rooted in safety, but safety alone is not enough. If we are to truly serve our patients and support one another, we must build a profession rooted in justice. Patients are better served when their providers reflect the world they come from. Research is stronger when it includes a full range of perspectives. And our field thrives when no one has to question whether they belong in the room.

ESAIC’s decision to formalise this Declaration comes at a moment when DEI principles face growing scrutiny and rollback in parts of the world. Choosing to stand firm in these values now is not only timely — it is bold. ESAIC has pledged to examine its structures, to report progress, to partner with others, and to ensure that this declaration is more than symbolic. It is a living commitment. One that demands openness to discomfort and an honest acknowledgement of the gaps that exist.

And so, today is a celebration of this milestone. That diversity, equity, and inclusion are no longer background issues, but issues central to our future. And upholding them is the shared responsibility of everyone who calls this profession home. The ESAIC invites all stakeholders in the medical field to embrace the principles outlined in the Mellin-Olsen Declaration. As we honour the legacy of Dr. Jannicke Mellin-Olsen, let us also reaffirm our dedication to building a more inclusive and equitable future in healthcare. By collectively committing to these values, the healthcare community can ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the forefront of medical practice and policy.