OEA - CP- Resolución CP CG INF 62 tx

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CG/INF.62/26 6 May 2026

GENERAL COMMITTEE Textual

THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION “STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION IN THE REGION OF THE AMERICAS” AND POSSIBLE WAYS FOR PAHO TO COLLABORATE WITH THE INTER-AMERICAN WORKING GROUP ON MENTAL HEALTH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL

PLAN OF ACTION

(Presentation by Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO during the meeting of the General Committee held on April 29, 2026)THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION “STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION IN THE REGION OF THE AMERICAS” AND POSSIBLE WAYS FOR PAHO TO COLLABORATE WITH THE INTER-AMERICAN WORKING GROUP ON MENTAL HEALTH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL

PLAN OF ACTION

(Presentation by Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at PAHO during the meeting of the General Committee held on April 29, 2026)

Good morning. I am Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the Pan American Health Organization, and I am honored to address the Permanent Council on the topic of how PAHO can support the implementatio n of OAS Resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV-O/25), “Addressing the Critical Mental Health Crisis in the Americas.”

Today, more than one in six people in the Americas are living with a mental disorder. Mental health conditions are associated with significant disability in our Region, where depressive and anxiety

AG/RES. 3036 (LV-O/25), “Addressing the Critical Mental Health Crisis in the Americas.”

Today, more than one in six people in the Americas are living with a mental disorder. Mental health conditions are associated with significant disability in our Region, where depressive and anxiety disorders are the second and third leading causes of all ye ars lived with disability, respectively. They are also a risk factor for suicide, which claims more than 100,000 annually.

The health, social and economic impacts of untreated mental health conditions are enormous. Poor mental health is linked not only to the development and worsening of physical health conditions, reducing life expectancy by as much as two decades for people with severe mental disorders, but is also associated with poverty, homelessness, and incarceration, as well as reduced productivity, all of which cost the global economy more than $1 trillion each year.

In September 2023, the global COVID-19 public health emergency highlighted the urgent need to strengthen the response to pandemic recovery and possible future emergencies. As a direct result, PAHO Member States approved the Strategy for Improving Mental he alth and suicide prevention in the Region of the Americas.

The Strategy was strongly influenced by the final report of the PAHO High-Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID -19, titled “A New Agenda for Mental Health in the Americas,” which outlined ten recommendations to guide multisectoral action for mental hea lth in the Region, and lists six strategic lines of action which are of particular relevance to this current effort:

Build mental health leadership, governance, and multisectoral partnerships, and integrate mental health in all policies. Multisectoral collaboration is essential to addressing the social determinants that contribute to mental health conditions and affect access to quality mental health care. This calls for a whole-of-government approach, in which all sectors play a key role in promoting and protecting mental health;

Improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of community -based services for mental health conditions and support the advance of deinstitutionalization. The vast majority of people with

This calls for a whole-of-government approach, in which all sectors play a key role in promoting and protecting mental health;

Improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of community -based services for mental health conditions and support the advance of deinstitutionalization. The vast majority of people with mental health conditions in our Region still do not receive es sential care. We must ensure that comprehensive, quality mental health services, grounded in human rights and equity, are available and accessible to all.- 2Advance mental health promotion and prevention strategies and activities throughout the life course. Mental health promotion and prevention is a highly cost-effective method of reducing the high burden of mental health conditions. Interventions delivered i n schools, workplaces, and other community settings, are needed to reach people at crucial life stages.

Reinforce the integration of mental health and psychosocial support in emergency contexts. As we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, emergencies and disasters cause significant psychological and social suffering. Mental health and psychosocial support must therefore be incorporated in all national disaster preparedness, response, and recovery plans.

Strengthen data, evidence, and research. The lack of quality, timely data on the burden of mental health conditions and the availability and quality of mental health services remains a significant barrier to improving mental health care in the Americas. Con sistent data are critical to implementing effective mental health services. And finally,

Make suicide prevention a national whole -of-government priority and build multisectoral capacity to respond to people affected by suicidal behaviors. Alarmingly, the age-adjusted suicide rate in our Region rose more than 17% between 2000 and 2021. Reversing high and rising suicide rates will require multisectoral interventions guided by strong national suicide prevention strategies and plans.

Notably, OAS Resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25) was informed by the PAHO regional Strategy for Improving Mental health and suicide prevention. I congratulate the OAS and its Member

require multisectoral interventions guided by strong national suicide prevention strategies and plans.

Notably, OAS Resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25) was informed by the PAHO regional Strategy for Improving Mental health and suicide prevention. I congratulate the OAS and its Member States on this landmark resolution which positions mental health on the hemi spheric agenda for the first time.

PAHO is working closely with the Secretariat of the Inter -American Mental Health Working Group to assist the implementation of the mandates set forth in the Resolution. PAHO reaffirms its highly valuable partnership with the OAS and reiterates its commitment to support the Working Group with technical expertise to ensure that its efforts are grounded in the best available evidence.

Again, I would like to congratulate the OAS on its unprecedented achievements in advancing mental health in our Region and reiterate that PAHO remains at your disposal in the implementation of this important resolution.

There can be no health without mental health, and together, we can continue to transform mental health care for everyone in our Region.

Thank you.