About IFCCA
Improving the life of
people with IBD
Who we are?
The International Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations (IFCCA) represents 51 national Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis (collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) patient associations.
We are an organisation of people united in our commitment to improve the life of over 10 million people living with IBD worldwide and to give them a louder voice and more visibility.
What we do?
Networking
We connect IBD patient associations worldwide, encourage and facilitate the exchange of information and the promotion of international activities. We collaborate with other umbrella associations such as the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) representing the medical profession, the United European Gastroenterologists Federation (UEGF), the European Patients’ Forum (EPF) and many other networks and organisations working in the health related field.
Awareness raising
Through campaigns like World IBD Day and other initiatives we want to raise awareness about IBD and its impact. Our awareness activities highlight key issues such as stigma, invisible disability, and unmet patient needs.
Advocacy
We carry out advocacy work with the EU institutions and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO to ensure that patients´ concerns are included in the decision making process for policies and other related health initiatives.
Empowerment
Through the IFCCA Academy, workshops, and capacity-building initiatives, we equip patients and member associations with the knowledge, skills, and support to actively participate in healthcare, advocacy, and research. Special focus is placed on engaging young people to shape the future of the IBD community.
Research
We participate in EU and global research projects, ensuring that patient perspectives guide scientific studies and healthcare development. Our evidence-based tools, such as DIVA, help identify unmet needs and improve care outcomes.
Legal documents
Read and download our legal and governance documents, including our Constitution (Statutes) and other official records that guide our work and define our structure.
These documents ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance with legal standards.
-
* For previous reports, please contact the EFCCA office.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the life of people with Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis collectively referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Our Vision
Our vision is to find a cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
IFCCA History
Following the identification of IBD as a recognisable chronic illness, specific self-help groups began to appear across Europe. By the mid 1980s, most of the groups which now constitute the European National Associations for Crohn's and Colitis patients had been formed. Further development of these organisations has reflected the growth of IBD diagnosis, the increasing visibility of the benefits of self-help associations and their increasing roles.
In the beginning of the 90s a small group of IBD associations from the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium got together with the idea of setting up a European Federation of IBD associations. The aim then was to encouragethe exchange of information and the promotion of international activities, including knowledge exchange with Crohn’s and Colitis organisations in other parts of the world and to assist in establishing new associations in European countries where they did not exist yet.
IFCCA Members
Explore organisations across every continent that share our mission.
IFCCA Stakeholders
IFCCA collaborates with sponsors through joint projects, where partners are actively involved in co-designing and co-implementing our initiatives. We are committed to full transparency in all our funding sources. To learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
Read our Commitment To Transparency
Our Sponsors in 2026:
AbbVie, Alfasigma, Agomab, Boehringer Ingelheim, Granitebio, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer,F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, SANOFI, Teva and Takeda.
Partners
-
Website: http://www.eu-patient.eu/
EPF was founded in 2003 to become the collective patients’ voice at EU level, manifesting the solidarity, power and unity of the EU patients’ movement. EPF currently represent 51 patients organisations – which are chronic disease specific patient organisations operating at EU level and national coalitions of patients organisations
-
Website: http://www.crohnsandcolitis.ca/
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada/Crohn et Colite Canada was founded in 1974 by a group of parents whose children were diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They were concerned about the lack of funding for IBD research and they were interested in learning more about Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).
From that small but dedicated group, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada/Crohn et Colite Canada has grown to become a world leader in IBD research funding. Through the support of our generous sponsors and donors, we fund research projects that probe the mysteries of IBD. We know that life-altering treatments have been developed as a result of these discoveries, and we also know that one day, a cure will be found.
-
The OnHOME Alliance works to ensure that all patients across Europe, especially those with chronic conditions, disabilities, or living in rural areas, can safely and securely access their prescription medicines online, promoting equal digital access, improving treatment adherence, supporting carers, and modernising healthcare while upholding safety, privacy, and EU/national compliance.
-
The European Alliance for Transformative Therapies (TRANSFORM) is a multi-stakeholder platform that brings together policymakers, patients, experts, and industry to advance evidence-based policies that ensure safe, timely, and sustainable access to cell and gene therapies.
-
Website: http://www.abcd.org.br
ABCD is a non-profit entity founded in 1999 in Brazil with the purpose of offering easy access to information required by IBD patients and promoting experience exchange between patients and professionals involved.
-
Website: https://fundeccu.org.ar/
Email: info@fundeccu.com.ar
The aim of FUNDECCU (Fundación Argentina de Ayuda a Las Persona con Enfermedad de Crohn y Colitis Ulcerosa) is to encourage and coordinate the work of health professionals and other disciplines to support people with IBD and their families in Argentina.
-
Website: http://www.edf-feph.org/
Email: info@edf-feph.org
The European Disability Forum is an independent NGO that represents the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities. EDF is the only European platform run by persons with disabilities and their families. We are the front runner for disability rights. We are the voice of persons with disabilities in Europe.
-
Website: http://www.ueg.eu/
Email: office@ueg.eu
The UEG is a professional medical non-profit organisation comprising all of the major European societies with an interest in disease of the digestive system, including the oesophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestine and bowel. The European societies that make up the Federation include medicine, surgery, paediatrics, GI oncology and endoscopy. UEG is the most comprehensive organisation of this kind in the world and our affiliated societies represent over 22.000 European specialists.
-
Website: http://www.patientsorganizations.org/
Email: info@iapo.org.uk
IAPO is a unique global alliance representing patients of all nationalities across all disease areas and promoting patient-centred healthcare around the world. Our members are patients' organizations working at the international, regional, national and local levels to represent and support patients, their families and carers. A patient is a person with any chronic disease, illness, syndrome, impairment or disability.
-
Website: http://www.crohnsandcolitis.com.au/
For more than 25 years, Crohn's and Colitis Australia (formerly the Australian Crohn's and Colitis Association) has been making life more liveable forover 70,000 Australian men, women and children living with these chronic illnesses. Crohn's and colitis can be diagnosed at any age, though it is most commonly diagnosed in people aged between 15-35 years when education, career and family building are at a peak.
Its mission is to support the Crohn's and Colitis community with a focus on confidential support programs including education, advocacy, counseling, increasing awareness and generating and utilising funds for research and support.
-
Website: http://ccfa.org/
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Since its founding nearly five decades ago, CCFA has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
-
Website: http://www.ecco-ibd.eu/
Email: ecco@ecco-ibd.eu
ECCO is a fast growing and highly active non-profit association focusing on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), acting inside Europe and encouraging collaborations beyond Europe’s borders representing the medical profession.
-
At the ECCO Congress in Prague, 2010, the N-ECCO Committee has introduced a new educational activity tailored for IBD Nurses. With this new initiative ECCO intends to give young nurses, who might still be in training and have an interest in IBD, the possibility to attend an IBD focused course. The aim of this programme is to ultimately improve nurse education throughout Europe and beyond.
-
Website: http://ibdresearch.org/
The IBD Research Foundation was established in 2008 as an initiative of EFCCA, in order to help EFCCA associations serve their members who would like to contribute to research. Fundraising efforts focus on associations which do not have their own fundraising organization, making available funds for research which otherwise would not have been available. The Foundation is open to collaboration with other organizations which support IBD research, in order to support larger IBD research projects together. By supporting IBD related research, the foundation aims to improve IBD treatment and thus contribute to a better quality of life of people with IBD. The ultimate aim of the foundation remains to conquer Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis by finding a cure.
IFCCA
Publications
In this section you will find a list of scientific publications relevant to the IBD community and in which IFCCA has been the co-author.
