1 May 2013

Dear Rev Yukio Saito,

World Suicide Prevention Day, 10th September 2013

We write to you to ask for your help. This year IASP and the World Health Organization are co-sponsoring
World Suicide Prevention Day with the theme “Stigma: A Major Barrier for Suicide Prevention”

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an indispensable conduit for getting out and making visible, themessage of the importance of suicide prevention. It is a day that brings the global community together,from the general public to those who work in the field, with the one focus of shining a spotlight on raisingawareness of suicide prevention.

Last year’s WSPD was our most successful yet; we had over 450 individual activities or events held in 75
countries listed on our website, we had the WSPD message printed in 48 languages and we issued over1,400 certificates. We reached new people; over 20,000 people joining and over 87,000 guests on ourFacebook WSPD page; 6,931 press releases sent out online and over 800 letters printed in newspapers
across the globe. We held 14 regional launches of WSPD across the globe, reaching more people than wehave ever done before.

This year we want to do more and this year’s theme is particularly important, if we are to do more in suicide
prevention then addressing stigma is imperative. We therefore write to ask for your help. We need yourhelp to spread the word; we need a far-reaching collective voice to inform and encourage participation inWSPD.

This year we will again host information on activities and events being held all around the world on ourwebsite and will produce a tool kit to help put these events together. Are you able to put on an event for
WSPD? If not, are you able to encourage others to do so and support an event in your area? Furthermore
we will be asking people to light a candle in their window at 8pm for WSPD and producing a postcard inmany languages that can be sent out in hardcopy or by email. Can you help and spread the word?

In addition, this year for the first time we are hosting a central activity for WSPD. Cycle Around the Worldfor WSPD is a global activity in which we hope members and non-members alike will join. Our aim is tocollect a total mileage from all contributors of over 40,075 km, or 24,901 miles, circumference of theearth. We ask that participants register with IASP for a small registration fee and will be providing official

cycle numbers, official sponsorship forms and certificates of completion. We ask that those partaking send
any sponsorship money raised to their chosen local or national suicide prevention charity.

We are excited about this new activity; it is centered on a global community, shared in the one focus toglobally raise awareness of suicide and its prevention and to reduce the stigma associated with it. And it
adds a practical element to the day, to raise funds for suicide prevention outfits around the world. Again,
are you able to participate and encourage others to do so? There is no minimum mileage required and thecycle can take place inside or outside and at any point in the run up to or around 10th September itself.

For more information please visit out WSPD website page www.iasp.info/wspd/index.php.

Please also feel free to contact IASP’s Central Administration Office at wspd@iasp.info if we can be of any
assistance to you in your efforts. We have produced an announcement on suicide and stigma, which you
will see below and we would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to read it.

With our sincerest gratitude

Lanny Berman PhD.

Paul Yip PhD.

IASP President

IASP Vice President and Convener of WSPD