News From the Region (Last Updated On: ) Western Pacific WFMH Representatives Visit Taiwan In July President Elect Pirkko Lahti and Nancy Wallace, WFMH’s Main Representative at UN NY, participated in a conference on disaster management in Taiwan at the invitation of Regional Vice President Chueh Chang. The conference “Disaster and Mental Health: Interactions among Government, NGOs and International Organizations” on 29-30 July brought together professionals and volunteer organizations to review the response to Taiwan’s devastating earthquake on 21 September 1999. (Since that time Taiwan has experienced many aftershocks, prolonging the trauma for survivors.) Various NGOs reported on their work to help earthquake survivors, which included both fund-raising to support relief efforts and the direct provision of services. Pirkko Lahti spoke about international activities for mental health, including WFMH’s World Mental Health Day and next year’s mental health campaign by WHO. Nancy Wallace spoke about NGO advocacy at the United Nations, and also discussed the value of NGO advocacy at the regional and local level. Both visitors were impressed by the way the conference recognized the importance of the”grassroots” response by volunteers in the crisis. However Pirkko Lahti later emphasized the need for advance preparation and recommended that cooperation between volunteers and professionals should be developed to avoid duplication of effort. Nancy Wallace also felt that it was important to have an ongoing process to improve the response to natural disasters. She also noted that there was an alarming rise in the number of suicide attempts after the earthquake, a development that deserved investigation. Before the conference the WFMH representatives took part in a press conference on consumers’ affairs (28 July) organized by the Taiwan Mental Health Alliance and cosponsored by the Republic of China Consumer Foundation and the WFMH Western Pacific Region. Among the issues discussed were consumers’ rights, violence against women, and inappropriate responses in the medical system. Eight TV channels and 15 newspapers covered the event, which was the first effort by NGOs to publicize consumers’ concerns. Pirkko Lahti and Nancy Wallace had a full program of activities during the remainder of their stay in Taiwan. They met with officials from the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, and found a strong interest in mental health as a global issue at both government departments. In recognition of this year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Mental Health and Work,” they spent time at an oil refinery where they met with labor leaders to discuss workers’ issues at the refinery and labor organization in the country as a whole. They also visited social projects run by the Peng Wan Ru Foundation to promote the well-being and safety of children. They saw a summer school program for children with behavioral and learning disabilities where traditional calligraphy was taught for its therapeutic value. They also went to a clinic for alternative medicine and mental health. There is considerable interest in developing a Western Pacific Regional Council for WFMH, and Dr. Yow Hwey Hu heads a preparatory committee for the Council. The host group arranging the visit, which included Professors Hu, Chang, Chou and D.T.M. Wu, discussed the structure of WFMH’s Board and possible ways of proceeding to strengthen regional development.