WPA Review Enewsletter Q3 2024 WEB

Dear Friends,

It is a pleasure to introduce the latest edition of our World Psychiatric Association (WPA) newsletter. As we move forward with our important work, I am inspired by the dedication and passion within our global psychiatric community. Together, we are making significant strides towards improving mental health worldwide, and I would like to share some of these efforts with you today.

We are continuing to advance the WPA’s 2023-2026 Action Plan, which aligns closely with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This plan guides our initiatives across all WPA components and Member Societies, ensuring that mental health remains a priority on the global agenda. Through our collaborations, we are making meaningful progress toward healthier communities and a sustainable future.

One key focus of our Action Plan is promoting healthy lifestyles and environmental stewardship, both of which are essential for supporting mental well-being. A recent example of our efforts is the "Connecting Climate Minds" project in partnership with the Climate Cares Centre at Imperial College London. Over the past 18 months, this initiative has built a global network addressing the intersection of climate and mental health, with over 1,000 contributors from 90 countries. Their Global Research and Action Agenda is now available, providing valuable resources to drive future work in this critical area.

We are also proud to highlight the work of the Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health, which provides a state-of-the-art summary of the stigmas surrounding mental illness, its impact, and the evidence behind interventions to address it. Their findings, based on over 200 systematic reviews, demonstrate that local-level public interventions—bringing together people with and without lived experience of mental health conditions—are the most effective way to combat stigma. These insights are crucial as we continue to build more inclusive mental health programs.

We are also pleased to announce the launch of the Competence Center of Global Mental Health Research at the University of Bern, developed in collaboration with the WPA. This center will focus on higher education, research, and policy development, particularly in supporting Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The official opening of this newest WPA Collaborating Center in September 2024 marks a significant step toward enhancing global mental health research and empowering LMICs to build sustainable mental health systems.

Our 2024 Medical Student Essay Competition, encouraging students to explore the role of mental health in global development through the lens of the United Nations SDGs, received an impressive response from 41 countries. We are proud to recognise this year’s winners, 5th year medical students Bahar Fazel of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Iran and Vitor Santana of the University of Pernambuco (Universidade de Pernambuco) in Brazil, who will be honoured at our 24th World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP) in Mexico City.

The WPA’s annual World Congress of Psychiatry (WCP24) is fast approaching (November 14-17), and preparations are well underway. The theme "New Horizons for Good Mental Health for All" has resonated with many in our field; the WCP24 Scientific Committee, which includes the WPA Council, WPA Zonal Representatives, and the WPA Executive Committee, has carefully evaluated an extraordinary number of high-quality proposals that highlight the remarkable breadth of expertise within our community. Additionally, the WPA Scientific Sections have prepared outstanding State of the Art lectures, further enriching our congress program.

As with all other WPA activities, WCP 2024 is guided by the EDIT principles, which – while maintaining the highest standards of Intellectual and Scientific Excellence – mandate:

Equality across genders and ethnicities
Developmental stages from childhood to adulthood and beyond
Inclusion of under-represented groups
Transcultural awareness and perspectives

These principles have shaped the selection of WCP24 abstracts, symposia chairs, and presentations, ensuring that our congress is diverse and inclusive and delivers on its promise to embody “New Horizons for Good Mental Health for All”.

We are glad that Professor in Psychiatry Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has accepted our invitation to open the WCP 2024 in Mexico City. Professor de la Fuente has previously served in a dizzying number of capacities beyond the traditional bounds of psychiatry – most recently, as the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations. With his distinguished background in clinical work, research, academic leadership, and both national and international governance, Professor de la Fuente brings a rare combination of nuanced insights to any discussion of mental health and public health.

We are deeply grateful for the dedication and hard work of our colleagues from the Mexican Psychiatric Association in the organizing and scientific committees. Their exceptional efforts have been instrumental in shaping a congress that promises to be both meaningful and memorable, ensuring a world-class event in the vibrant heart of Mexico City.

With my best wishes,
Danuta

Prof. Danuta Wasserman
WPA President

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