The evolving role of <scp>WPA</scp> Collaborating Centres: new perspectives and future directions

The establishment of the WPA Collaborating Centres marked a decisive step in strengthening the global mission of the WPA. Conceived in 2014, the Centres were designed to bring together leading institutions from different world regions, pooling their academic, clinical and policy expertise to support the WPA Action Plan and to respond to emerging mental health challenges worldwide1. From their inception, the Centres have acted as bridges between local realities and global strategy, combining scientific excellence and authority with a commitment to education, capacity building and innovation. Initially seven in number, the Centres have progressively expanded, and now include ten sites across diverse countries, among them the UK, Italy, India, Egypt, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kenya, Qatar and Switzerland. Their mission has remained constant: to support the WPA Action Plan and the presidential strategy, while retaining independence, agility and flexibility. They are self-funded and self-administered, with directors and their teams bringing considerable expertise and resources to the network. In this way, the Centres have added strength to WPA’s global offer without imposing additional demands on central resources, while promoting awareness of WPA activities and priorities in their respective contexts2, 3. Over the years, the WPA Collaborating Centres have played a crucial role in disseminating educational resources, running competitions for trainees and medical students, supporting scholarship and research funds, and influencing policy at national and global levels. They have contributed to the development and dissemination of the chapter on mental disorders of the ICD-11, addressed physical comorbidities in patients with severe mental illness, promoted community mental health, focused on youth mental health, and advanced human rights in psychiatry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they offered timely guidance on psychosocial consequences and public mental health responses, ensuring that WPA was able to act as a trusted global voice2. In parallel, they strengthened ties with the WPA Scientific Sections and Working Groups, supporting unmet educational needs and providing opportunities for early career psychiatrists and trainees3. The WPA Collaborating Centres have become an integrated global network, acting in concert to advance the mission of the Association. Their collective identity as a single network of excellence, fully aligned with the WPA’s strategy, gives greater authority to the Association’s Action Plans and strengthens their visibility within the international scientific community. Together, the Centres now operate as multipliers of WPA’s initiatives, amplifying the reach of its programmes across diverse regions and ensuring continuity of its mission across successive leaderships. The alignment with the WPA Action Plan 2023-20264-7 and subsequent strategic priorities8-11 provides coherence and direction, reinforcing the role of the Centres as engines of implementation. This integrated network is expanding into regions that remain underrepresented in international activities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of mental disorders is greatest and resources are scarce. New Centres, selected on the basis of established criteria of excellence and capacity to address unmet needs, bring fresh infrastructure and expertise to strengthen psychiatric education, research and practice in underserved areas. In this way, the network extends its global reach while remaining firmly anchored in local contexts. Education and training are at the core of this endeavour. The Centres jointly promote postgraduate education, support early career psychiatrists, and create opportunities for medical students to engage with psychiatry during medical school training, and through competitions and scholarships, consolidating ongoing initiatives for greater global impact12, 13. By harnessing digital platforms, they are widening access to high-quality educational materials, including training on ICD-11, comorbidities, and innovative models of care2, 3. Close collaboration with the World Health Organization and other international entities ensures that educational resources remain relevant to emerging challenges, including the opportunities and risks of digital mental health14. The coherence of this expanding network is supported by evolving governance and sustainability mechanisms. We are developing executive structures at national level, clear succession planning, transparent fund raising, and renewable three-year mandates aligned with WPA presidential terms. This combination of agility and continuity ensures that the WPA Collaborating Centres are equipped to sustain their role as a global alliance for mental health, offering a model for international collaboration that is authoritative, inclusive and durable over time15. Another defining feature of the network is its capacity to generate interdisciplinary and cross-centre collaborations. By pooling expertise across regions, the Centres are delivering joint projects on suicide prevention, digital innovation, health inequalities, and adolescent mental health. These collaborations allow for the production of multi-country data, consensus statements, and policy documents that amplify the visibility of psychiatry within broader health and social agendas3. Beyond academic and clinical priorities, the Centres remain committed to social responsivity and community engagement. They promote human rights, lead anti-stigma campaigns, and work with service users and carers to ensure that psychiatry speaks directly to the needs of communities. These activities demonstrate that they are not only a scientific resource, but also a driving force for advocacy and societal change. The WPA Collaborating Centres have therefore evolved into a dynamic and authoritative network, able to combine local expertise with global strategy. Their future lies in acting ever more as a coordinated whole, aligned with the WPA’s Action Plans and responsive to the challenges of a rapidly changing world. By reinforcing their collective identity, expanding into underserved regions, prioritizing education and cross-centre collaboration, and maintaining a strong commitment to social responsivity, the Centres are uniquely positioned to strengthen clinical and applied academic psychiatry and interdisciplinary scholarship worldwide.