The forum aims to promote advocacy in matters of global respiratory health and the identification of new areas for global initiatives

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) was established in 2001, with members coming from a number of international societies, including Asociación Latinoamericana del Thorax (ALAT), the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), the American Thoracic Society (ATS), the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology (APSR), the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), the Pan African Thoracic Society (PATS).