With each edition of the World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, the divide between research and policy narrows. The 9th World Conference, held in Merida, Mexico 15–18 March 2008, served as a venue not only for sharing the latest scientific knowledge on violence and injury prevention, but also garnering support from the highest political levels for national prevention efforts. While the World Conference is a major scientific event, two important pre-meetings served as bridges to policy-making: the Second Global Meeting of Ministry of Health Focal Points for Injury and Violence Prevention and the Meeting of Ministers of the Americas on Injury and Violence Prevention.

Hosted by WHO on 13–14 March 2008, the Second Global Meeting of Ministry of Health Focal Points for Injury and Violence Prevention was attended by 62 ministry of health focal points from 50 primarily low-income and middle-income countries, representatives of WHO Collaborating Centers, and WHO staff from all levels of the Organization. The objectives were to: increase the exchange of ideas and information among the focal points and their peers; further clarify the role of focal points; inform the focal points about WHO products and tools; identify future activities of the informal network; facilitate the participation of the focal points in the 9th World Conference. The meeting involved: plenary presentation of the new WHO document entitled Preventing injuries and …