Sri Lanka has been selected as the host for the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP)’s 34th World Congress in Colombo in June 2027.
“We had 13 proposals from across the world to host this conference. However, the IASP board made it clear they wanted a host from a lower- and middle-income country. Six of the 13 bids met that criteria. We then looked for a country with a strong record in suicide prevention and a host city accessible to our diverse delegates.
“Sri Lanka proved to be an amazing central location for everyone,” said Wendy Cliff, IASP’s head of membership and events, during a visit to Colombo earlier in February.
During her visit, Cliff inspected venues in the Sri Lankan capital and met with stakeholders for the 2027 conference, which is expected to attract 700 to 900 high-level international delegates.
Cliff noted that hosting the congress in Colombo would significantly lower registration fees and other participant costs. Other deciding factors included Sri Lanka’s accessibility, with direct flights connecting Colombo to Australia and most European cities. The 2027 event follows IASP’s 2025 congress, which was held in Vienna.
In an official statement, the IASP also noted that Sri Lanka’s successful bid reflects the country’s journey in suicide prevention. After recording the world’s highest suicide rate in the mid-1990s, the nation has since achieved some of the most dramatic reductions ever documented.
Upcoming events in Sri Lanka include the International Conference on Industrial & Medical Gases, and the 2nd International Conference on Tropical Dermatology, both scheduled for March. These will be followed by the Sri Lanka-German Business Forum in April, and the 19th Asia Pacific Congress of Paediatrics in July.
After recording a milestone of almost 2.4 million tourist arrivals in 2025, the country has set an ambitious target of three million visitors for 2026.
