INVITATION TO SUBMIT A BID
TO HOST THE 2012 WORLD CONFERENCE

Biennial Conference Planning Committee

WORLD CONFERENCE SERIES ON THE PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PREVENTION OF MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS

The Biennial Conference Planning Committee (BCPC), a collaboration of the World Federation for Mental Health, the Clifford Beers Foundation, and the Mental Health Program of The Carter Center, organized the World Conferences on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders in 2000 (Atlanta, Georgia), 2002 (London, England), 2004 (Auckland, New Zealand), 2006 (Oslo, Norway), and 2008 (Melbourne, Australia). Each conference is the responsibility of the BCPC, which from the Auckland event onwards has been joined by a host organization from the country where the conference is held. Past host organizations were the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (2004); Voksne for Barn, Norway (2006); VicHealth, Australia (2008); and Education Development Center, Inc., USA (2010).

The conferences are held under the general auspices of the Global Consortium for the Advancement of Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health (GCAPP), an outgrowth of the Biennial Conference Planning Committee that was formed in 2004 to expand international interest in promotion and prevention.

As the World Conference series evolved, and as more countries and organizations became interested in participating in the conferences, the Biennial Conference Planning Committee has developed the following set of guidelines and criteria against which to evaluate proposals from potential host countries and venues for future World Conferences on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders..

National and/or international organizations or collaborative groups interested in serving as the Host Organization for a future World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders are invited to submit a proposal to the Biennial Conference Planning Committee for its consideration. Such a proposal should include summary information addressing each of the following sections:

Promoting the “Global Scope” of the World Promotion and Prevention Conference

As indicated by its title, and by the location of each of the previous conferences in a different region of the world, the Biennial Conference Planning Committee is committed to promoting the global scope of this biennial conference. To the extent possible, the Committee will seek opportunities to locate future conferences in different regions of the world, including in developing countries, when viable locations and host organizations are available to support a successful conference.

Mental Health Promotion and Prevention as a Country Priority

Organizations desiring to host a World Promotion and Prevention Conference should be able to demonstrate that mental health promotion and prevention are part of the potential host country’s “public policy agenda” for both governments and non-governmental mental health organizations.

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Providing brief information on such areas as the following will assist Biennial Conference Planning Committee reviewers to assess the country’s priority to mental health promotion and prevention:

• The country’s key leaders in mental health promotion and prevention
• Academic institutions in the country have well-established promotion and prevention programs within their scope of research and teaching
• Leading non-governmental organizations actively engaged in mental health promotion and prevention activities and strategies
• Examples of how governmental agencies responsible for mental health planning and their allocation of resources address promotion and prevention
• The extent that funding is made available to support mental health promotion and prevention
• Examples of how organizations and people involved in mental health promotion and prevention in the country are involved in international promotion and prevention activities.

Host Organization Leadership in Mental Health Promotion and Prevention

In order to assure that the World Promotion and Prevention Conference receives the support and participation of both governmental and nongovernmental sectors within the host country, the potential host organization should demonstrate that mental health promotion and prevention is one of its principal foci.

For example, the potential host organization might describe its focus and priority on mental health promotion and prevention as specified in the organization’s mission statements and strategic targets and by summarizing the level of organization, financial, staff, and program resources allocated to this area of its overall annual activity. Accompanying letters from other organizations (governmental and non-governmental) endorsing the potential host organization’s application would serve to strengthen the response to this criterion.

Host Organization Capacity to Organize and Manage the World Promotion and Prevention Conference

The organization should provide the GCAPP Coordinating Committee with information and documentation demonstrating its capacity to organize and manage a world conference of this nature.

The areas that the potential host organization should address through its response to this criterion include the number of staff and volunteers available to provide leadership and support to the conference’s organization, other organizations that have agreed to lend assistance to the conference’s organization, availability of professional conference management services (either on staff or through contract), and the extent to which the organization has the capacity to generate revenues from within its country and region to support a budget adequate to fund a successful conference. Previous experience in organizing international conferences might also be cited.

Potential for the Host Organization/Country to Attract Global and Local Audiences

Each of the previous World Promotion and Prevention Conferences has attracted a diverse group of registrants and presenters from throughout the world. In submitting an application to host the conference, organizations should provide an assessment of the host country’s attractiveness as a conference venue, and of the host organization’s ability to promote attendance and paid registration from individuals and organizations located within neighboring countries, as well as from their own country.

It would be helpful for any proposal to include evidence of prior contact with mental health organizations and governmental agencies in surrounding countries in the region to assess their interest in helping to promote and support the conference.

Capacity and Willingness to Accept Shared Financial Responsibility/Liability for the Conference

The three previous World Promotion and Prevention Conferences have relied on revenue generation from governmental and private sector sources (both within the host country and from other countries) and from conference participant registration fees to support the total costs of the event. The member organizations of the Biennial Conference P)lanning Committee are not in a position to underwrite the total costs incurred by the host organization in organizing the conference. Thus, the host organization will need to accept a share of the potential financial liability that accompanies an event such as the World Promotion and Prevention Conference.

A statement, signed by an authorized official of the applicant organization, indicating the acceptance of one quarter of any financial liability that might accrue as a result of low paid attendance, inadequate fundraising, or unanticipated expenses (if approved by the Biennial Conference Planning Committee prior to obligation), or the necessity to cancel the conference.

The potential host organization should also submit a statement agreeing to participate with the Committee in the preparation and agreement of a formal revenue and expense budget to guide the organization of the conference, and to provide the Committee with regular reports monitoring the revenue and expenses to assure that corrective steps are taken to guard against a deficit funding situation that could place the Committee members and the host organization at risk of incurring any liability for deficits resulting from the conference.

Should surplus proceeds result from the conference’s organization, after all agreed on financial obligations have been met, those surplus proceeds will be shared equally between the Host Organization, the Carter Center Mental Health Program, the Clifford Beers Foundation, and the World Federation for Mental Health.

Benefit to the Host Organization, Country, and GCAPP

A major reason for selecting a specific host organization and country for organizing and convening a future World Promotion and Prevention Conference is the extent to which the conference can contribute to advancing the mental health promotion and prevention agenda in the host country and region. A secondary, but important, consideration for selecting the location for the conference is the potential benefit that will accrue to GCAPP as it works to build a strong global constituency for mental health promotion and the prevention of mental and behavioral disorders.

Thus, a potential host organization should be able to describe in a convincing fashion why hosting the conference in its country would have value for the host organization, for the country’s mental health promotion and disorder prevention field, and how the conference would result in advancing the international mental health promotion and disorder prevention sector. The organization should be able to provide some potential desired outcomes against which the impact of the conference being held in its country could be measured.

Time of the Conference
The Biennial Conference Planning Committee has had a preference for holding the conference in September-November, but is willing to negotiate the date, taking into consideration the best time for the local setting.

Proposal Submission Deadline
A short letter with a preliminary expression of interest to host the 2012 conference is required by January 31, 2010. Completed proposals and accompanying materials must be received by March 15, 2010 to be considered as the host organization for the Seventh World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders in 2012.

Submit Proposals To

Dr. Elena Berger, Coordinator
Biennial Conference Planning Committee
P.O. Box 6815
Baltimore, MD 21285-6815
USA
Tel. 410 938 3180
Email: eberger@wfmh.com

All letters with an expression of interest and complete proposals can be submitted electronically to eberger@wfmh.com, formatted as MS Word documents, and this is the preferred method for submission.

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