The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica, organized a regional workshop on suicide prevention in San José, 11-12 May. The main objective pursued was to strengthen the capacity of countries for implementing preventive measures related to suicidal behaviors in the Region of the Americas through the development of national prevention plans and the improvement of surveillance systems. Pan American.
Experts from PAHO and WHO, as well as country representatives from the Region, shared experiences in the development and evaluation of national strategies for suicide prevention, surveillance systems on suicidal behaviors, and effective programs and projects.
Suicidal behaviors are a considerable public health problem worldwide. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people die from suicide in the world each year, and around 72,000 people in the Region of the Americas. Suicide can be prevented through public health measures. However, despite some advances, suicide rates remain high in many countries. PAHO recognizes suicide as a problem in the Region and highlights the need for national responses to prevent suicide.
The specific objectives of the meeting were: to promote the development, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive multisectoral national suicide prevention strategies; to encourage the development of surveillance systems to report and monitor suicide attempts and deaths in order to improve decision-making and interventions and to guide prevention efforts; to share effective evidence-based interventions relevant to the regional context; and to strengthen technical cooperation on suicide prevention strategies among countries.
