United Nations Psychology Day

Psychology Day at the United Nations April 25th, 2013

UN Psychology Day Participants

The 6th annual Psychology Day at the United Nations was held at the UN Church Center in New York on April 25th, 2013, with the theme Psychology and Violence in the Global Context: Antecedents, Consequences and Prevention. The International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS) was a co-sponsor of the event and was represented by Executive Committee member, Ava Thompson. Co-sponsors and participants represented a number of other international psychological organizations including the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations (PCUN), American Psychological Association (APA), International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) and International Council of Psychologists (ICP).

Dr Thompson at UN Psychology day addressing participants

The event featured opening remarks, a keynote presentation and two panel sessions that addressed violence across the life span. Key issues addressed throughout the event included psychology’s contributions to violence prevention, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Violence Prevention initiatives and capacity building priorities. IUPsyS’s representative, Dr Thompson, participated in the first panel with a presentation entitled Violence in the Majority World: Impact on Children and Youth that highlighted the need for a collective disciplinary response and IUPsyS’s capacity to contribute to a global interdisciplinary, multi-sectorial and comprehensive effort to prevent violence and reduce its developmental impact. The day’s event concluded with a reception that provided an opportunity for socializing, regional and global networking and dialogue about promoting psychology’s role at the United Nations.

For further details, contact Ava Thompson at: athompson@cob.edu.bs