1. Enhance Availability, Quality, Safety & Cost-Effectiveness of stem cell provision for patients: Strengthen collaboration among WMDA members to maximise the availability of volunteer donors and cord blood units for patients in need.

2. Support Continuous Improvement: Assist members in enhancing performance for both patients and donors, guided by scientific and ethical principles and in accordance with national and international legislation.

3. Raise Awareness: Increase public and professional understanding of voluntary, non-remunerated stem cell donation through initiatives such as World Marrow Donor Day (WMDD).

Oversight of Supporting Global Development is provided by four key committees:

• Registry Operations & Regulation – Ensures registries are resilient, prepared for emergencies, and continuously improving services for transplant centers and donors.

• Cord Blood Operations – Supports public cord blood banks in enhancing data quality, transparency, and operational efficiency.

• Donor Recruitment & Retention – Shares strategies for building and maintaining stable donor populations that are willing to donate upon request.

• Education – Delivers online courses, webinars, and learning materials to strengthen knowledge and skills across the WMDA network.

These committees are guided by the following principles:

• Promoting Collaboration: Facilitating knowledge exchange and partnerships among registries, transplant centers, and cord blood banks.

• Regulatory Engagement: Supporting compliance with WMDA Standards and (inter)national regulations.

• Advocating Best Practices: Guiding members toward operational, ethical, and clinical excellence.

• Sharing Information: Providing access to resources, education, and data to drive continuous improvement.

WMDA offers a range of services to support voluntary stem cell donation worldwide:

• Pathway for New & Emerging Organisations: Guidance and support for establishing registries or public cord blood banks. Click here.

• Online Education: Courses, webinars, and learning resources designed to strengthen professional expertise. Click here.

• Handbook & Newsletters: Practical guidance and regular updates through Stem Cell Matters and other WMDA publications.

• Global Trends Report: Insights into global donor recruitment and stem cell transplantation activity.

• International Meetings & Conferences: Opportunities to connect in person, share scientific developments, exchange best practices, and explore innovative strategies. See upcoming events.

• Certification Program: WMDA Standards promote high-quality performance and international consistency across member organisations.. Learn more here.

Transporting stem cells and stem cell products internationally is a critical and delicate process. During shipment, stem cells are at their most vulnerable, making specialised handling and high-quality transport essential to ensure the integrity of the product and the safety of patients.

To support consistent quality and reduce duplication of effort, WMDA has implemented the Courier Audit Programme. This initiative ensures that courier companies meet rigorous operational and quality standards for the transport of stem cells.

The programme aims to:

• Streamline and centralise courier audits across WMDA member organisations
• Provide a unified checklist and clear quality guidelines for assessing courier services
• Enhance quality assurance
• Reduce audit burden for both WMDA members and courier companies

WMDA maintains a list of certified courier companies that meet the defined standards.
View all WMDA Certified Courier Companies here.

Courier Companies that are interested to become WMDA certified can contact wmda by contacting WMDA: mail@wmda.info.

Whether you are a registry, cord blood bank, or transplant center, you can benefit from WMDA’s global development services. Explore membership options and learn how your organization can join our collaborative network:

• Become a member of WMDA
• New & Emerging Organisations Pathway
• Educational Courses
• World Marrow Donor Day