亲爱的同道和朋友：

国际预防自杀协会第26届世界大会将于2011年9月13-17日在北京举行，这是继2001年第一次在印度召开之后的第二次在亚洲国家召开的世界大会，此举充分突显了在全球致力于降低自杀代价的共同努力中亚太地区所扮演的重要角色。亚太地区许多国家的自杀率居高不下，由此激发各领域的科学研究者和各学科的临床医生，乃至各等级的政策制定者研发创新性方法，以评估和阐明自杀相关问题。这些不懈的努力使至关重要的文化因素在理解和预防自杀的领域中得到普遍重视，因而本次大会以文化愿景作为主题进行充分的探讨。 

此次世界大会将成为飞速变革的亚洲各国整合世界各地专家学者长期致力于自杀学研究的经验和成果的巨大动力。亚洲国家与世界其他地区一样，面对许多自杀研究和预防的多重挑战。然而，众多亚洲国家的健康和精神卫生资源有限，农村人口众多，经济变革迅猛，政体改革方兴未艾，承受着无法用西方过去几十年发展形成的标准化方法应对诸多挑战的重重困难。在中国和其他亚太地区国家所发生的巨大变革为解决自杀这一老问题带来了新曙光。为此，本次世界大会为自杀研究和预防领域的有识之士提供了交流思想、温故知新、广交朋友、缔结友情的平台，更重要的是激发各国各界的创新合作，推动自杀学的发展。

此次世界大会将由业内资深专家和崭露头角的后起之秀进行大会发言，提供令人耳目为之一新的大量信息，专题会、讲习班、辩论会和研究生班课程将涵盖涉及预防自杀、改善应对自杀行为结果方法的全球目标的所有相关议题。同时，丰富多彩的社交活动将吸引中国人民的新老朋友，探寻和了解中国首都传统文化和习俗的今昔，并可以到北京周边的城市观光访问。我们相信，所有中外来访者一定会感到印象非凡，不虚此行。 

欢迎来自世界各地的朋友们在2011年9月的金秋时节到访北京！

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

IASP's 26th World Congress will be held in Beijing from September 13th to 17th, 2011. This is the second time a world congress on suicide prevention will be been held in Asia—the first was in India in 2001—highlighting the important role of the Asia-Pacific in the global effort to reduce the toll of suicide. The relatively high rate of suicide in many countries in the region has stimulated researchers, clinicians and policy makers to develop and assess a range of innovative methods for addressing the problem of suicide. These efforts have drawn attention to the crucial role of culture in the understanding and prevention of suicide, so cultural perspectives has been selected as the central organizing theme for the congress. 

The Congress will bring together the dynamic forces of rapidly transforming Asia with the rich experience of experts from other parts of the world where there is a much longer history of working in the field of suicidology. Asian countries face many of the same challenges in suicide research and suicide prevention experienced by other parts of the world. But the limited health and mental health resources, large rural populations, rapid economic changes and ongoing political reforms in many Asian counties makes it difficult to apply the standard methods of addressing these challenges developed in Western countries over the last several decades. Much of what is happening in China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific is throwing new light on old problems, so the Congress will be a platform for exchanging ideas, renewing old friendships and, most importantly, for initiating new collaborative ventures. 

The congress will include an exciting selection of plenary sessions by established and up-and-coming experts. Symposia, Workshops, Debates and Master’s Classes will cover the full range of topics of interest to those working towards the global goal of preventing suicide and of improving our methods for dealing with the consequences of suicidal behaviour. A variety of social activities will be arranged for first visitors and old friends who wish to explore the rapidly transforming culture of China’s capital or make side visits to other parts of China. 

 　　Welcome to Beijing in September 2011!