The Sixth World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and ...

Report on the Proceedings
Nearly 500 attendees, presenters, and keynote speakers from 41 countries participated, with
representation from Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong
Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, U.K.,
U.S, and Zimbabwe.
Registrants included researchers, scientists, and practitioners in health, mental health, or other social
service, as well as policy makers and educators.
Scholarships were provided for 17 attendees from Canada, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia, South
Africa, Sri Lanka, Zambia, and the U.S.
Program
<strong>The</strong> theme of the <strong>Sixth</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental
and Behavioral Disorders, held November 17-19 in Washington, DC, was Addressing Imbalances:
Promoting Equity in Mental Health. Almost 500 researchers, scientists, practitioners, government officials,
policy makers, and educators from 41 countries gathered for three days of workshops to report findings,
share research, discuss policies, and recommend future actions for the field.
Keynote speakers included Ms. Pamela Hyde, Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Dr.
Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health of Guyana; Mr. Kjell Bondevik, founder and President of the Oslo
Center for Human Rights, and former Prime Minister of Norway; and Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Programme
Manager in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the <strong>World</strong> Health Organization
(WHO).
In her welcome to participants, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter reflected on the decade since the first
conference, which was held in the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia:
Since the conference began, we have seen a growing awareness of the need for and benefits of
mental health promotion, reaching all people in the settings where they live, learn, and work, to
safeguard and develop positive mental health. We have increasingly come to appreciate that
there can be no health without mental health—at any age…. We also have come to know that the
sooner we recognize the potential of a mental health problem and intervene early, the more likely
we can prevent longer-term mental disorders.
Mrs. Carter concluded, “Together, we can pave the way to a future where attention to mental health is
free from stigma and discrimination, where all can receive the services they need, and where there is
parity for addressing physical and mental health.”
<strong>The</strong> conference program focused on advancing the call for action of the Melbourne Charter, which arose
out of the 2008 Fifth <strong>World</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> in Melbourne, Australia. <strong>The</strong> conference partnering organizations
and participants developed a series of proposed action steps, including protecting indigenous cultures,
ensuring policy is informed by evidence-based practices, eliminating stigma, and engaging communities
to promote mental health and to prevent mental and behavioral disorders.
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