Organization of American States 55th General Assembly Side Event
The government of Antigua and Barbuda and PAHO are co-hosting Uniting the Americas for Mental Health: From Commitment to Action, on June 25th, 2025, as a side event of the 55th Regular Session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly. This session will be a discussion among Ministers of Foreign Affairs to leverage regional leadership and identify common perspectives on advancing mental health to contribute at the global level. The event will take place in St. John´s, Antigua and Barbuda, and will also be livestreamed.
The objectives of this event are:
- Leverage regional leadership on mental health ahead of the Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health and Well-being.
- Identify regional achievements and challenges in advancing mental health to be positioned at the global level.
- Reinforce priorities for Regional Collaboration on Mental Health.
How to participate
- DAY: Wednesday, June 25th, 2025
- TIME: 1:00 p.m. (St John´s and Washington, DC time or EDT/ AST) [See the bottom of this page for times in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, with simultaneous translation in those languages
- LIVESTREAM: The broadcast will be available at the OAS media center page.
Live broadcast
Context
The Region of the Americas is facing a mounting mental health crisis, with more than 160 million people living with a mental disorder, the vast majority of whom lack access to quality care. Suicide, which claims more than 100,000 lives each year in the Region, remains high.
Addressing mental health is not solely a health issue, but an economic, social, and development imperative. Untreated mental disorders have been projected to cost the global economy $16 trillion USD by 2030 in lost productivity, and poor mental health contributes to unemployment, lower educational attainment, poverty, homelessness, and incarceration, all of which adversely impact communities and hinder national and regional development goals. Violence, psychoactive drugs use, large-scale migration, and humanitarian emergencies, such as natural disasters, exacerbate the current crisis in the Region.
On September 25, 2025, global leaders will meet at the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a declaration at the Fourth High-Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-Being. The Americas region has an important opportunity to influence the regional and global mental health agenda in 2025.
Agenda
- 1:00 pm - Welcome and Introduction
- Event Chair: The Honourable Sir Molwyn Joseph. Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Antigua and Barbuda
- 1:05 pm - Keynote Address
- The Honourable Gaston Browne. Prime Minister, Antigua and Barbuda
- 1:15 pm - Mental Health in the Framework of the OAS Pillars
- His Excellency Albert R. Ramdin. Secretary General, Organization of American States
- 1:20 pm - Regional Challenges and Opportunities in Mental Health
- His Excellency Nestor Mendez. Assistant Secretary General, Organization of American States, and Co-Chair of the PAHO High-Level Commission on Mental Health and COVID-19
- Dr. Anselm Hennis. Director, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, Pan American Health Organization
- 1:30 pm - Member State Experiences: Policy Achievements and Lessons Learned
- Video message from His Excellency Gabriel Boric, President of the Republic of Chile, presented by Her Excellency Gloria de la Fuente González, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile
- His Excellency Arnoldo André Tinoco. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Costa Rica
- The Honourable Mona Fortier. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada
- His Excellency Rubén Arturo Silié Valdez. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Foreign Policy, Dominican Republic
- His Excellency Benoni Belli. Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the Organization of American States
- 2:25 pm - Closing: International Cooperation and the Path to the UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health
- Her Excellency Carmen Montón. Ambassador, Permanent Observer of Spain to the Organization of American States
- The Honourable Frederick Stephenson. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Consumer Affairs, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Time in other cities
- 10:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver
- 11:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa
- 12:00 p.m. – Bogotá, Panama City, Kingston, Lima, Quito
- 1:00 pm. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, San Juan, Santiago, Santo Domingo, Washington D.C.,
- 2:00 p.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo
- 7:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid
For other cities, please check the local time on this link.