Prime Minister Gaston Browne at roundtable discussion at the UN
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that Antigua and Barbuda will host a Regional Mental Health Summit in 2026, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The Summit, confirmed during Browne’s co-chairing of the CGI–PAHO roundtable in New York, will bring together leaders from across the Americas to set concrete, measurable targets for mental health delivery and financing.
Key focus areas will include:
- Integration of mental health in primary care.
- Suicide prevention and youth mental health programmes.
- Digital platforms for mental health access.
- Psychosocial support for climate-related disasters.
Browne said the Summit will aim not only to chart solutions but also to secure sustainable funding, making Antigua and Barbuda a regional hub for advancing mental health policy.
“This will be a deliverables-focused agenda,” Browne noted, “because our people deserve results, not rhetoric.”
Antigua and Barbuda seem to be the summit holding country of the caribbean.
Way to go PM Browne!! Keep on shining that light on mental health. It’s about time!!!
mental health is a serious matter but somehow i believe we have trivilalized it
Mental health has been overlooked for too long. A regional summit is exactly what we need.
I wish employers would take mental health seriously cause it is an issue. Most times we call in sick we simply just need a break away from our toxic workplace
This prime minister never goes away wtithout bringing back something for his country