The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) adopted in October 2020 a Position Statement and Call to Action: “Implementing Alternatives to Coercion: A Key Component of Improving Mental Health Care” (Herrman et al. in World Psychiatry 21(1):159–160, 2022). The program of work this reflects is based on WPA’s history of recommending an ethical as well as rights-based approach to improving mental health care and gives special attention to the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It aims to develop a movement across countries: promoting realistic alternatives to coercion in mental health care through the adoption of practical rights-based policies and practices. The work proceeds in collaboration with people with lived experience of mental health conditions and their families, and other government, research, and civil society groups. The program recognises that while the call for alternatives is growing both within the profession and among people with lived experience of coercion in mental health care, there are different opinions about the degree to which and the speed with which coercive practices can be replaced. The program advocates for a practical approach to implementing alternatives to coercion rather than focus on that debate. It aims to demonstrate how shared experiences and outcomes assessments can promote the spread of good practices across countries, while keeping in mind the adaptations needed with the different laws, resources, and cultural norms in each place.