The World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) is a multidisciplinary professional association whose mission is the evidence-based improvement, education, and advocacy of emergency and disaster health care and disaster risk reduction. WADEM was originally founded as the Club of Mainz on 2 October 1976 with the goal of improving the worldwide delivery of prehospital and emergency care during everyday and mass disaster emergencies. The founding members were renowned researchers, practitioners and teachers of acute care medicine, who joined together to focus their energies on the scientific, educational, and clinical aspects of immediate care. Following the constant development of its scope and extension worldwide, and to better reflect its nature, the organization’s name was changed to the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. WADEM is the oldest international emergency and disaster medicine organization with members from 55 countries and numerous disciplines including medicine, nursing, emergency management, academia, military, veterinary medicine, psychology and sociology as well as government and non-government organizations.