What a remarkable year it has been! As we look back on 2025, I am filled with both gratitude and hope for our global network of members, researchers, clinicians, advocates, and lived experience leaders who continue to advance suicide prevention worldwide.
One of the highlights this year was when the IASP 33rd World Congress returned to Austria for our 65th anniversary in June. I had the pleasure of being part of a hugely successful gathering of our global community, and it reminded me of our shared commitment to suicide prevention. This was the most ambitious World Congress programme in our history, with more sessions, speakers, and countries represented than ever before. Here, we also honoured seven exceptional individuals working in the global suicide prevention sector by presenting them with the 2025 IASP Awards. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to making this event so meaningful, inclusive and inspiring.
Throughout the year, IASP has been increasingly engaged in global advocacy and policy. From the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva to the 156th WHO Executive Board and then the UN General Assembly Fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health, we ensured suicide prevention and mental health were priorities on the international stage. Our participation in such discussions and high-level meetings reinforced the importance of evidence- and rights-based approaches to mental health, and highlighted the urgent need for sustainable investment in suicide prevention services worldwide. We were also pleased to attend both the 7th Global Mental Health Summit in Cape Town and the IASR/AFSP International Summit on Suicide Research. These major global gatherings brought together leaders, researchers, funders, youth advocates, and lived experience experts to advance mental health and suicide prevention and strengthen global collaboration.
In terms of knowledge exchange, our Partnerships for Life initiative continued to share best practices and insights in relation to the implementation of suicide prevention strategies and programmes across regions. Five new Special Interest Groups launched in 2025 including those focused on youth self-harm, climate change, criminal justice, social determinants, and intellectual disability and neurodiversity. These groups aim to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and targeted action on pressing suicide prevention issues, so please get involved.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2025 was a remarkable success, reaching communities around the globe, raising awareness and fostering meaningful engagement. This year, we received event submissions spanning nearly every continent of the world on our website and saw an increased participation in our annual campaign Cycle around the Globe. I am deeply grateful to everyone who organised, or took part in events, shared resources, or took a moment to remember those lost to suicide.
While celebrating our achievements, we have also faced significant new challenges in suicide prevention this year. Armed conflicts around the world are rising which cause immense suffering and have lasting effects on people’s mental health globally. Further, global funding cuts pose a serious threat to mental health services, with the greatest impact felt in communities where access to support is already limited, risking the loss of life-saving interventions and increasing suicide risk. At the same time, the issues of stigma, discrimination and marginalisation of vulnerable groups and communities in parts of the world continue to shape risk and limit access to support. At times like this, we need to come together. Addressing these challenges requires sustained investment, coordinated leadership, evidence-based approaches, and global commitment and collaboration, and at IASP, we are ready to help lead the way.
Looking towards the future, we are excited to be an official partner for SNEHA Suicide Update 2026 in India, which will be conducted by leading researchers, clinicians and experts on suicide from around the world and India. We are also proud to be the official partner of the 21st European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour (ESSSB21), taking place from 26-29 August 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Please join us if you can.
As we close out the year, I want to thank all of you for your unwavering commitment to our shared mission of suicide prevention, as well as your commitment and collegiality to each other. Your contributions through research, advocacy, lived experience, and community engagement continue to shape the global landscape of suicide prevention. I look forward to building on our achievements in the coming year, advancing our mission, and working together to create a world where suicide is preventable and support is accessible for all.
I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a happy, healthy New Year.
