The on rush of beneficial change which now flows in medical education has never been stronger since the start of this century. Such activity has not been seen since the era of Flexner. There can be no doubt that the world scene is now set for decisive, effective action. The many tributaries of the stream of reform converge this year at Edinburgh, to diverge again into six Regional Conferences during 1994 in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific. The centres of activity and connection cited below do not in any way make up a comprehensive catalogue. Rather, each development and each reform is a link in a chain, a module with which the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) has been implicated. Each name given, each title stated, is intended as a marker, a nexus. These are among the partners to be mobilized and brought together for the task.