2023 Annual Report for the Committee for Global Psychology

• Julie Koch, PhD, chair (2024)
• Laurence Armand French, PhD (2025)
• Chryse Hatzichristou, PhD (2025)
• Gurusewak Khalsa, PhD (2024)
• Elizabeth Louis, PhD (2024)
• Anjhula Mya Singh Bais, PhD (2024)
• Hana Suzuki, PhD (2023) 
• Sheena Walker, PhD (2023)
• Linda Woolf, PhD (2023)

The Committee for Global Psychology enjoyed a productive 2023, including finishing two internal documents on the importance of a global perspective and human rights, providing input to many draft policies and guidelines, selecting APA awardees, hosting a session at Convention, and overseeing APA’s United Nations (UN) teams in New York and Geneva. Highlights are provided below. For more details, please contact staff liaisons Amanda Clinton, PhD, or Gabe Twose, PhD.

CGP met virtually 12 times during 2023, with liaisons attending half of those meetings. Subgroups communicated frequently between meetings. Over the course of the year, the committee engaged in a number of activities: 

Human rights

In 2021, APA Council of Representatives received the Final Report of the APA Task Force on Human Rights, “Moving Human Rights to the Forefront of Psychologyopens in new window” and adopted the APA Resolution on APA, Psychology, and Human Rightsopens in new window, which stated that, “APA has demonstrated an implicit recognition of its human rights obligations throughout its history, but has often acted in piecemeal fashion.”

To address this issue, CGP compared key UN and other international human rights conventions relating to specific populations (e.g., children, people with disabilities, refugees, women) and topics (e.g., climate change), with APA policies to identify areas of omission which could be rectified by the development of association policies.The document also identifies key APA offices, committees, and divisions which focus on each of these issues.CGP will work on disseminating this resource to APA boards and committees in 2024.

Global perspective

CGP also developed a brochure on the benefits of a global perspective emphasizing ethical responsibilities, knowledge exchange, and interconnected challenges. The aim is to encourage governance groups to proactively consider these issues as they are developing work products rather than reacting to feedback from CGP later in the review process. CGP will work on disseminating this product to APA boards and committees in 2024.

• Awarded the 2023 Outstanding Dissertation Award to Chia Po Cheng for his dissertation, The Impact of Marriage Equality among Taiwanese LGBTQ+ Individuals in Relationships: The Mediating Role of Minority Stress and Relationship Satisfaction

CGP provided input into: 

• Policy & Planning Board’s 5-year review of the Council Policy Manual
  • Resolution on APA, Psychology and Human Rights
  • Moving Human Rights to the Forefront of Psychology: Final report of the APA task force on Human Rights
  • Resolution on promoting global perspectives in US psychology
  • Resolution on the free and responsible practice of science, freedom of movement of scientists, and APA international engagement
  • Free exchange of ideas
  • Resolution against genocide
  • Resolution on culture and gender awareness in international psychology
  • Resolution on UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the convention’s optional protocols
  • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Seville statement on violence
  • Human rights
  • Opposition to torture
  • Support for the rights of psychologists in other countries
  • Psychologists who are political refugees
• Board for Educational Affairs Racial Disparities Task Force Report: Racism and Bias
• Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults
• Standards for Testing in Educational and Psychological Testing
• Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
• Inclusive Language Guide
• Resolution on Supporting Psychologists’ Education and Research about, and Activism against Violations of Girls’ and Women’s Human Rights Globally

CGP oversees APA’s team of representatives at the UN, where APA holds Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is associated with the Department of Global Communications. More details on APA’s activities at the UN are available in their annual report. 

• Dr. Irina Feygina, APA’s lead representative to the UN, attended every other CGP meeting and provided updates on the work of the UN team
• Dr. Elizabeth Louis served as CGP liaison to the UN team. Dr. Louis attended all meetings of the UN team, including several in-person events, and provided input to their work on behalf of CGP.

CGP welcomed liaisons from across the APA governance system who were invited to attend committee meetings and participate in listserv discussions. The committee chair sent a letter to all liaisons to guide their participation. CGP welcomed liaisons from:

• The Board of Directors, the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students, the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest, the Board of Scientific Affairs, the Membership Board, and the Policy and Planning Board
• The Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, the Committee on Early Career Psychologists, the Committee on Socioeconomic Status, the Health Equity Committee, and the Committee on Women in Psychology
• Divisions 1, 10, 12, 19, 22, 26, 29, 32, 33, 38, 39, 44, 52, 54, 55, and 56
• The Council Caucus on Promoting Global and Human Rights Perspectives

CGP held roundtable discussions on a global perspective at the APA convention, which provided valuable information for the committee's future planning. In efforts to encourage globally-minded psychologists to develop an understanding of the critical issues in psychology around the world, CGP divided participants into small groups to discuss the underfunding of mental health, equity (access, quality of care) for LGBTQ+ communities, and training for population health approaches to mental health. Each group discussed specific actions that psychologists can take to address the issues.

• A CGP member participated in the selection of the American Psychological Foundation 2023 Henry David Research Grant 
• CGP selected slates and forwarded nominations for the 2024-2026 Committee members to the Elections Committee 
• CGP submitted questions for APA presidential candidates about their involvement in global issues
• For the first time, the CGP chair attended the quarterly Board Chair’s Call
• The CGP chair-elect attended a meeting of the Membership Board, conveying CGP insights on the promise of increasing APA’s international membership, and strategies for doing so.
• In 2022, CGP wrote to the Needs Assessment, Slating, and Campaigns Committee, suggesting that the Board of Directors (BoD) seek international expertise. The BoD acted upon this recommendation, their call for member at large nominees included expertise in “global, international, or peace psychology.” CGP was delighted that Elizabeth Louis was elected to the BoD due in part to her international expertise.