On Our Minds

Dear Global Leaders,

As you gather for the United Nations General Assembly High Level Week and the Summit of the Future, we, 40 businesses, organizations and supporters from over 20 countries, together with the Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health led by UNICEF - are calling for increased investment in and action on child and youth mental health globally. Historic underinvestment in mental health promotion, prevention and care and ongoing stigma and discrimination, accompanied by the impact of COVID-19 and persisting global challenges, are affecting child and youth mental health in every country. While demand for support is increasing, global investment is not even meeting the current levels of need. 

Mental health determines emotional, intellectual, physical and social well-being. It shapes how we think, feel and act and confers our ability to handle stress, build and manage relationships, and make choices that affect not only our own lives, but also those of the people around us. Mental health is important at every stage of life, especially for children and young people. When child and youth mental health is prioritized the impact on young lives both now and for the future is significant, including improved quality of life, increased likelihood of completing education, long-term economic returns, and lower rates of premature mortality [1]. However, the consequences of failing to address child and youth mental health conditions extend into adulthood. Fifty per cent of mental health conditions develop before the age of 14 and have the potential of impairing both physical and mental health and limiting children’s opportunities to lead fulfilling lives.[2] Additionally, suicide is the 4th leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds globally.[3]

The global annual mental health finance gap is estimated to be at least $200 billion.[4] Most countries around the world allocate relatively small budgets to support health systems, and within those budgets an even smaller proportion, just 2 per cent on average [5], is directed towards mental health support - including much-needed child and youth mental health services. This critical funding gap must be addressed so we can collectively meet the urgent mental health needs of future generations.

It is estimated that, due to mental health conditions, we lose nearly US$390 billion worth of human capital that could go towards national economies each year.[6] We must promote a multi-sectoral response to achieve change. Both the private and the public sectors have a key role to play through investment and influence, to break this cycle and shape our collective future.

The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health calls for increased investment in mental health across all countries and in all sectors and settings, including in humanitarian crises, that meets the mental health needs of all young people, especially those most in need. We urge governments to increase their domestic spending on mental health within relevant budgets including health, education and social services, as well as scale funding for mental health and psychosocial support within international development assistance. This should include targeted financing for children and youth.

Acting early to support children, youth and caregivers is the best investment we can make to promote good mental health, prevent poor mental health, and respond to the complex mental health issues children face today. We urge you to prioritize child and youth mental health now.

We are calling for global leaders across the public and private sectors to invest in:

1. Ensuring every child, youth and caregiver globally can access support for their mental health:  This means increasing access to quality and holistic mental health support provided across sectors, by investing in promotion, prevention and care for children, youth and caregivers, with a focus on community-based care that is effective, sustainable, age sensitive and culturally appropriate.
2. Filling the evidence gaps on child and youth mental health: This means improving data and increasing research to better understand who is affected in each context and what works for specific at-risk groups, and to further expand our ability to respond across age groups, with a focus on promotion and prevention. This investment should aim to future-proof our response, ensuring resilience during pressing global challenges such as in humanitarian emergencies and climate and ecological crises.
3. Developing internal strategies and practices: This includes fostering employees’ mental health and well-being by encompassing mental health support within the workplace and developing and adapting products or services offered by the company and in the wider community. This includes initiatives tailored for youth and caregivers employed in the organizations.

Though our inner worlds are often unseen, our actions should not be. Child and youth mental health is ‘On Our Minds’.

Led by

The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health, with the support of its member is organizing the "On Our Minds" Call to Action and sign-on letter below. 

Although the letter has closed for launch at UNGA 2024, if you're interested in joining the movement and signing for future activations, or have any questions, please contact [email protected].

_{[1] United Nations Children's Fund, ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind: Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children’s Mental Health’ UNICEF, 2021, <https://www.unicef.org/media/114636/file/SOWC-2021-full-report-English.pdf>, accessed 20 May 2024}

_{[2] Kessler RC, Angermeyer M, Anthony JC, et al. ‘Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Survey Initiative’, World Psychiatry, 2007, 6, pp.168–176}

_{[3] UNICEF analysis based on WHO Global Health Estimates, 2020}

_{[4] United for Global Mental Health, Financing of Mental Health: the Current Situation and Ways Forward, 2022 Financing of mental health: the current situation and ways forward - United for Global Mental Health (unitedgmh.org)}

_{[5] World Health Organization, ‘Mental Health Atlas 2020’, Geneva, 2021, <https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/345946/9789240036703-eng.pdf?sequence=1>, accessed 30 April 2024}

_{[6] United Nations Children's Fund, ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind: Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children’s Mental Health’ UNICEF, 2021, <https://www.unicef.org/media/114636/file/SOWC-2021-full-report-English.pdf>, accessed 30 April 2024}