OEA - Resolución CP doc 6224 rev 2 de 2026

OEA/Ser.G CP/doc.6224/26 rev. 2 16 June 2026

Original: English/Spanish

DRAFT RESOLUTION

“DECLARATION ON IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS THROUGH

INTERSECTORAL AND WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ACTION”

TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE FIFTY-SIXTH REGULAR SESSION

OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PERMANENT COUNCILDRAFT RESOLUTION

DECLARATION ON IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS THROUGH

INTERSECTORAL AND WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ACTION

(Presented by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Inter-American Working Group on Mental Health)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

CONVINCED that the promotion and protection of mental health are essential pillars of integral development and of the strengthening of inclusive, resilient societies centered on human dignity; and

RECALLING resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25), “Addressing the Critical Mental Health Crisis in the Americas”,1/

RESOLVES:

1. To adopt the “Declaration on Improving Mental Health in the Americas through Intersectoral and Whole-of-Government Actions”, attached as an annex hereto.

2. To extend the mandate of the Inter-American Working Group on Mental Health until the fifty-ninth regular session of the General Assembly.

3. To instruct the Working Group to present to the Permanent Council a proposed regional action plan for its consideration and possible adoption by the General Assembly at its fiftyseventh regular session.

4. That the implementation of this resolution shall be carried out within the framework of institutional efforts to manage and prioritize mandates, in accordance with available financial resources, and without impact on the Regular Fund of the Organization.

seventh regular session.

4. That the implementation of this resolution shall be carried out within the framework of institutional efforts to manage and prioritize mandates, in accordance with available financial resources, and without impact on the Regular Fund of the Organization.

1. The United States notes with concern the increasing numbers of children diagnosed with gender dysphoria and the lack of international consensus about the best practices for their care, and alarmed...- 2ANNEX

DECLARATION ON IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS THROUGH

INTERSECTORAL AND WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ACTION

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

REAFFIRMING the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and later incorporated in the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, “Protocol of San Salvador”;2/

BEARING IN MIND resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25), “Addressing the Critical Mental Health Crisis in the Americas,” which emphasized “the need for enhanced regional solidarity, partnership, and collective action to achieve sustainable reform in mental healt h for the benefit of all peoples of the Americas”;

RECALLING ALSO that resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25) resolved to negotiate a declaration on improving mental health in the Americas, reaffirming the commitment of Member States to prioritize intersectoral approaches to advance mental health and address th e regional mental health crisis;

RECALLING FURTHER that resolution AG/RES. 3036 (LV -O/25) established the InterAmerican Working Group on Mental Health, open to all Member States and relevant institutions of the Inter-American system, to develop a regional action plan to strengthen cooper ation and guide efforts to address the mental health crisis in the Americas;

American Working Group on Mental Health, open to all Member States and relevant institutions of the Inter-American system, to develop a regional action plan to strengthen cooper ation and guide efforts to address the mental health crisis in the Americas;

BEARING IN MIND ALSO resolution AG/RES. 3028 (LIV -O/24), “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights,” Section X, titled “Human rights and mental health,” which resolved “to reaffirm the obligation of states to respect, protect, and fulfil all human rights a nd fundamental freedoms and to ensure that mental health -related policies and services are in conformity with international human rights law”;

2. The United States is not party to these instruments and is thus not in a position to reaffirm them.- 3AWARE that mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and suicide are among the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality in the Americas;

CONCERNED by the persistence of substantial gaps in accessible, quality mental health services, which leave the overwhelming majority of children, adults, in particular women, in the Americas, especially those living in situations of vulnerability, without access to essential promotion, prevention, care and recovery services;

ALARMED that, according to the available data, the suicide rate has increased in the Americas in recent years, disproportionately affecting Indigenous populations, people of African descent, young people, and older adults, among other groups.3/

CONCERNED at the impact of violence against women and girls, the burden of unpaid work, and structural inequality on the mental health of women and girls.

DEEPLY CONCERNED by the growing impacts of digital environments, including harmful social media use, cyber harassment and online abuse, and social isolation, on mental health, particularly on children, adolescents, and young people across the Americas;

RECALLING the principles of the Caracas Declaration of 1990, which called for the restructuring of mental health care in the Americas, shifting away from hospital -based care towards community-based services linked to primary health care and within the fram ework of local health

RECALLING the principles of the Caracas Declaration of 1990, which called for the restructuring of mental health care in the Americas, shifting away from hospital -based care towards community-based services linked to primary health care and within the fram ework of local health systems, and RECOGNIZING the advances and challenges in implementation;

TAKING NOTE of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Strategy for Improving Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the Region of the Americas, adopted by resolution CD60.R12, as well as the report of the PAHO High -Level Commission on Mental Health a nd COVID-19, which led to the creation of “A New Agenda for Mental Health in the Americas”;

3. On the increasing suicide rates in the Americas: WHO, Suicide worldwide in 2021: global health estimates, Geneva: WHO, 2025; and WHO, Mental Health Atlas 2024, Geneva: WHO, 2025...- 4REAFFIRMING the crucial role of all sectors —including health, finance, education, social protection, law, justice, labor, and environment, among others —in collaborating on and investing in mental health to address the root social and economic causes;

EMPHASIZING the critical need for greater investment, both public and private, to strengthen, expand and integrate mental health systems, services, and care, so that all people have access to the full range of quality health services; and

RECOGNIZING the fundamental role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in fostering inter -American multisectoral dialogue and strengthening regional cooperation on mental health to advance the hemispheric agenda,

DECLARES ITS INTENT TO:

1. Underscore that mental health is essential to human development, social cohesion, productivity and sustainable development; recognize its impact across the social and economic agenda; and resolve to elevate mental health as a core public policy priority in the Americas.

2. Strengthen public awareness initiatives and reduce stigma surrounding mental health conditions in order to encourage early help -seeking, strengthen prevention, and foster supportive

productivity and sustainable development; recognize its impact across the social and economic agenda; and resolve to elevate mental health as a core public policy priority in the Americas.

2. Strengthen public awareness initiatives and reduce stigma surrounding mental health conditions in order to encourage early help -seeking, strengthen prevention, and foster supportive environments for mental well-being across the life course.

3. Progressively increase adequate, sustained, and predictable investment in mental health systems, with strong emphasis on early intervention, with a non-discriminatory approach that is accessible to all, mental health promotion and prevention across the lif e course, and across sectors, including financing, workforce development, information systems, innovation, and quality assurance, to ensure long-term impact and accessibility to the whole population.

4. Advance toward the implementation of financing mechanisms that enable States to implement public policies, expand services, and close gaps in treatment and care, especially for populations in situations of vulnerability.- 55. Strengthen and expand the specialized mental health workforce, with particular attention to rural, Indigenous, and inaccessible areas, and host communities impacted by increased migration, as an essential element in reducing the treatment gap and ensuring mental health coverage.

6. Address the key social, economic, and environmental factors, at the community, institutional and structural levels that negatively affect mental health.

7. Address mental health in the workplace by recognizing work -related mental health conditions, promoting the assessment and elimination of psychosocial risks, strengthening public health surveillance, and improving reporting and monitoring systems.

8. Address the growing mental health harms associated with digital environments, including exposure to online harassment, harmful content such as non -consensual intimate visual depictions, gambling, including betting, and addictive digital practices, particul arly for children and adolescents and other populations in situations of vulnerability, through coordinated intersectoral action, including regulatory frameworks and the strengthening of digital safety and user protection, to strengthen safeguards, promote digital literacy, and foster digital environments that support mental health and well-being across the life course in a culturally acceptable fashion.

adolescents and other populations in situations of vulnerability, through coordinated intersectoral action, including regulatory frameworks and the strengthening of digital safety and user protection, to strengthen safeguards, promote digital literacy, and foster digital environments that support mental health and well-being across the life course in a culturally acceptable fashion.

9. Support reducing disparities in mental health outcomes and access to promotion, prevention and care and recovery, broadening the geographic coverage and adapting services to the specific needs of each context, particularly for populations in conditions of vulnerability, ensuring that mental health services are culturally acceptable and scientifically sound.

10. Emphasize the importance of mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention for children and adolescents, strengthening evidence -based, family, school -based, and community actions that foster positive short - and long -term mental health outcomes and prevent suicide;

11. Prioritize strengthening, scaling up, and expanding accessible, quality, culturally acceptable, scientifically sound and community-based mental health services, integrated into primary health care and diverse delivery platforms, including digital and workp lace settings, across the life course, to ensure sustainability and population-level positive impact in well-being.- 612. Strengthen mental health preparedness and response in emergencies, natural disasters, and crisis situations, including mental health and psychosocial support for affected persons and response teams, as a component of national disaster management plans.

13. Promote evidence -informed, scalable mental health services that are accessible by telephone and digital helplines, rapid response services and clinical interventions, adapted to national, regional, and local capacities.

14. Recognize the ongoing demographic transition and population aging in the Americas and address the mental health needs of older adults through coordinated, intersectoral actions, including health, social protection, long -term care, and community -based suppo rt, to promote healthy aging, dignity, and quality of life.

15. Acknowledge the close relationship between mental health and substance use disorders and addictive behavior, including online gambling, as a priority issue and strengthen

health, social protection, long -term care, and community -based suppo rt, to promote healthy aging, dignity, and quality of life.

15. Acknowledge the close relationship between mental health and substance use disorders and addictive behavior, including online gambling, as a priority issue and strengthen integrated, public-health-oriented responses, including in primary health care settings, that encompass prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery.

16. Reaffirm the rights and dignity of people with mental health conditions; take appropriate measures to provide access by persons with disabilities to the support they may require in exercising their legal capacity; recognize progress in the Americas toward community-based care with positive outcomes; and resolve to accelerate deinstitutionalization and promote, according to national capacities, the progressive transition to community-based care models and the elimination of all forms of abuse, neglect, and coercion in mental institutions, while strengthening community-based, recoveryoriented services.

17. Take measures to protect and promote the mental health and psychosocial well -being of the health and care workforce, including volunteers, responding to their specific mental health and psychosocial needs.- 718. Urge Member States to intensify efforts to address high and rising suicide rates in the region through appropriate coordinated, multisectoral policies and strategies, engaging the health, education, social protection, labor, justice, and community sectors, and implementing evidence-based, scientifically sound interventions and with a cultural approach. Strengthen the implementation of postvention strategies for persons who had emotional ties with victims of suicide, through psychosocial support provided to and from families, communities, and institutions. Promote media spaces for mental health awareness and the comprehensive intersectoral approach to suicidal behavior, ensuring responsible, culturally relevant, and accessible messaging that reduces stigma an d encourages helpseeking.

19. Issue an open call to strengthen a truly coordinated hemispheric response on mental health, in which the political leadership of the OAS, the technical leadership of the PAHO, the contributions of research and evidence, and the support of multilateral fin ancial institutions converge

seeking.

19. Issue an open call to strengthen a truly coordinated hemispheric response on mental health, in which the political leadership of the OAS, the technical leadership of the PAHO, the contributions of research and evidence, and the support of multilateral fin ancial institutions converge effectively.

20. Promote regional cooperation and partnerships among the OAS, PAHO, governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, mental health service users and their families, and the private sector, to advance mental health.

21. Identify, systematize, and disseminate the actions being carried out by the various entities of the inter -American system in the field of mental health, with the aim of strengthening coordination, generating synergies, optimizing the use of resources, and avoiding duplication of efforts.

22. Encourage the OAS and other Inter -American organizations to collaborate with legislative bodies and regional parliamentary organizations to strengthen legal and policy frameworks that promote mental health and human rights.

23. Encourage Member States to develop and exchange guidelines, best practices, and regional frameworks that promote human rights-based approaches to mental health and well-being.

24. Promote shared learning, progress monitoring, and accountability for the implementation of this Declaration.- 8FOOTNOTES

1. ... at the increased use of pharmacological and surgical interventions as treatments for pediatric gender dysphoria.

The United States recognizes that evidence -based medicine is widely recognized by health authorities worldwide as the foundation of high-quality care and calls on Member States to ensure mental health practices are based on a solid evidence-base, including long-term observational studies with parallel control groups and based on sufficiently large cohorts.

The United States urges Member States to Address pediatric gender dysphoria by relying on high quality evidence concerning the effects of sex-rejecting interventions on psychological outcomes, quality of life, regret,

on sufficiently large cohorts.

The United States urges Member States to Address pediatric gender dysphoria by relying on high quality evidence concerning the effects of sex-rejecting interventions on psychological outcomes, quality of life, regret, and long-term health, and by exploring non-invasive alternatives to endocrine and surgical interventions.

3. ... Specifically, regarding the prevalence of suicide among age groups: PAHO, Suicide in the

Americas: regional report 2021, Washington, D.C.: PAHO, 2025.

On the prevalence of suicide among Indigenous populations: Stone/CDC et al. , “Suicides Among American Indian or Alaska Native Persons — National Violent Death Reporting System, United States, 2015 – 2020”, MMWR, 2022.

Concerning the prevalence of suicide among people of African descent: CDC/Stone et al., “Notes from the Field: Differences in Suicide Rates, by Race and Ethnicity and Age Group — United States, 2018 –2023”, MMWR, 2025; and Oliveira Alves et al., “The rising trends of self -harm in Brazil: an ecological analysis of notifications, hospitalizations, and mortality between 2011 and 2022”, Lancet Reg Health Am, 2024.