Mental health was top of the agenda at the 55th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) this week, thanks to a side event hosted by Antigua and Barbuda and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
“Uniting the Americas for Mental Health: From Commitment to Action” convened Ministers of Foreign Affairs from countries of the Americas to share, for the first time, progress and shared challenges in addressing mental health and to reinforce the priorities and opportunities for regional collaboration and action.
Over 160 million people in the Americas live with a mental disorder, many without access to quality health care. As a result, suicide rates remain alarming, with over 100,000 lives lost each year. Globally, poor mental health is projected to cost USD 16 trillion by 2030 in lost productivity, further straining national economies and hindering progress towards development goals.
“To move toward a more prosperous region where everyone can achieve the highest possible level of health, we cannot continue to treat mental health as an isolated health issue. Instead, we must recognize the fundamental role that mental health plays in strengthening human capital, economic sustainability, and social well-being and growth”, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director, during his video remarks.
In 2023, the PAHO High-Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID-19 issued a report outlining a package of priority mental health policy and strategy actions to be incorporated into countries’ post-pandemic recovery strategies. These include: elevating mental health at the national and supranational levels; integrating mental health into all policies; and increasing quality financing for mental health, among others.
The event also brought together high-level authorities, including the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne; the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric; the OAS Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin; and the Assistant Secretary General, Nestor Mendez.
“The time for transformative action is now. We can continue to ignore mental health, paying for that neglect with shattered lives, fractured families, and economies drained by lost potential. Or we can choose a different path: one that recognizes mental health as the cornerstone of human dignity and societal well-being. By pooling our resources, expertise, and resolve, we can ensure that every person in the Americas has access to care and compassion”, said the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne.
During the event, Ministers and vice ministers of foreign affairs also participated in a panel to discuss mental health policy achievements and lessons learned. These include Arnoldo André Tinoco of Costa Rica; Gloria de la Fuente González of Chile; Rubén Arturo Silié Valdez of the Dominican Republic, as well as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mona Fortier,; and Ambassador Benoni Belli, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the Organization of American States.
This event represents a pivotal opportunity to unite the Americas in a coordinated effort to improve mental health systems and outcomes—and to ensure that regional voices shape the global agenda. It also precedes the Fourth United Nations High-level meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health in September, where global leaders will set a vision to prevent and control NCDs towards 2030 and beyond in the UN General Assembly, and the Americas region has an important opportunity to influence the regional and global mental health agenda in 2025.
55th General Assembly of the OAS
The 55th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, held from 25 to 27 June in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda this week, is the supreme organ of the OAS, convening Member States from across the Region.
The theme of the Assembly this year is “Building Resilient Inclusive Economies in the Americas.”