After three years of intense organization, the 6th ALAI Congress of Immunology was succesfully held in Havana, Cuba. With only a few changes with respect to the plan, the Scientific Program was developed with great quality (check different opinions here).

We hosted 639 participants from 39 countries (The Americas: Argentina, Bolivia Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela; Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom; Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe; Middle East: Iran; Asia and Oceania: Australia, China, India, Japan, Thailand). In total, 128 full oral presentations, and 50 short oral presentations were delivered, and 412 posters were exhibited.

On Sunday December 8, one day before inauguration of the ALAI Congress, the 46th Annual Meeting of the Council of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) was held in Hotel Palco, in Havana.

The Congress was inaugurated on Monday December 9 in Room 1 of the Havana Conventions Center, where one minute of silence was held in the honor of Prof. Cesar Milstein. A Proclamation declaring the congress one of the commemorative events of the Centennial of the Pan American Health Organization was read. The official inauguration speech was delivered by Dr. Concepción Campa, President of the Finlay Institute for Vaccines of Havana. Dr. Gustavo Sierra, from Cuba, and Dr. Philippa Marrack, from the United States of America, were in charge of the two first conferences of the Scientiic Program.

The Congress Closing speech on Friday December 13 was delivered by Dr. Henry Metzger, from the United States of America. This was followed by the ceremony where the PAHO-ALAI 2002 Immunology Prices were awarded to Drs. Manoel Barral Netto (Brazil), Antonio González Griego (Cuba), and Rubén Rodríguez Gavaldá (Cuba), for life-long achievements and dedication to Research, Teaching, and Clinical Immunology.

The ALAI General Assembly invested Dr. Clelia Riera, from Córdoba, Argentina, as the new President of ALAI. The 2005 ALAI Congress will be held in this universitary city. The Assembly also approved that the following ALAI Congress should be held in 2007, not in 2008, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to take advantage of the celebration of the International Congress of Immunology in this wonderful location.

The Organizing Committee of ALAI 2002 would like to acknowledge again the support of the different Latin American immunology societes affiliated to ALAI, of the International Union of Immunological Societies, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) headquarters, and the Wellcome Trust, and of many different Cuban institutions. A special recognition should be given to the Cuban Immunology Society (SCI), that with its 400 members and over 300 conferences and posters, as well as with the work of its members in the organization of the event, contributed to the brilliant development of the Congress.

Thanks to all participants, and we hope to meet again in Córdoba, Argentina, in 2005!!!

Jorge V. Gavilondo	Gustavo Sierra	Oliver Pérez
Past-President ALAI	President SCI	Sec. General SCI