Date published: 27 June 2024
Leading researchers and thought leaders from 22 countries were given a Royal surprise when they attended the Zero Suicide 5 International Summit at the iconic Liver Building on 24-25 June, with an official welcome from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.
The Prince personally recorded a video message for the delegates, which was shown to welcome them to the event hosted by award winning broadcaster Claudia Hammond.
The event was opened by Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, and key note speakers included CEO Prof Joe Rafferty, who called for investment in AI to help prevent suicide.
Professor Nav Kapur reflecting on the past, present and future of suicide prevention in clinical services, while the 3 Dads Walking received a standing ovation after sharing their heartbreaking experiences of living with the loss of their daughters to suicide and called for more support for young people.
To mark the occasion, the Royal Liver Building and the civic buildings across the city were also lit up orange. The event was hosted by the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) in partnership with Henry Ford Health on behalf of Zero Suicide International.
This is the fifth summit of its type following previous events in Rotterdam (2018), Sydney (2017), Atlanta (2015), Oxford (2014) and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can you spare just a few minutes to learn the skills to approach someone with suicidal thoughts and point them towards the help they need?
The Zero Suicide Alliance has a number of different training modules, some just lasting 15-20 minutes, which can help you save someone's life.
More information can be found on their website.