IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe says it's crucial his reform proposals are adopted this year if the world athletics governing body is to mend its damaged reputation.
Lord Coe is midway through a global tour to talk up the merits of reform plans drafted in the wake of numerous doping claims, and allegations of corruption, bribery and cover-ups within the IAAF itself.
The double Olympic gold medallist is currently in Australia and spent the weekend on the Gold Coast discussing the issues with Oceania representatives.
All member federations will meet at a Special Congress in Monaco on December 3 to vote on the proposals, which include an independent integrity unit that would take the management of doping results away from national federations.
The Congress had originally been scheduled to take place next year at the world championships in London, but Coe said it couldn't wait that long.
He said world athletics was at the most critical juncture in its history and the focus must be on rebuilding public trust.
"If we wait until next year for the Congress to determine these issues then we would wait until 2018 for the integrity unit," Coe told AAP.
"Whereas if we get the proposals across the line in December we can have the integrity unit up and running by April of next year.
"That will lend confidence to our partners and stakeholders, and most importantly to the clean athletes - they are the most important stakeholder we have.
"And it will help us ... on that return to trust which is so important in our organisation and in competition."
Coe said governance reform was top of the agenda following criminal investigations that implicated some of IAAF's top brass including his predecessor Lamine Diack.
The Russian doping scandal also has more to come.
The IAAF banned all Russian track-and-field athletes from competing at the Rio Olympics over its state-sponsored doping program.
While Coe wanted to clean Russian athletes back in international competition as soon as possible, he warned it still has work to do if that is to happen in time for the world championships.
"It has to be our ambition to get clean Russian athletes from a clean system back into international competition," Coe said.
"I didn't come into the sport to stop athletes from competing, but I do have a responsibility as the federation president to make sure that that happens, and only happens, when the criteria and the changes that we have sought are met."
