UK (Commonwealth Union)_ On World Mental Health Day, the theme “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right” takes center stage, underscoring the vital importance of promoting and safeguarding mental health as an inherent human entitlement. In September 2023, global leaders reasserted their commitment to universal health coverage, asserting that all individuals possess the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Further, the Commonwealth youth leaders and advocates for mental health in the respective nations commend the heightened attention placed on mental health, which is increasingly recognized as a fundamental and intersectoral aspect of healthcare systems and crisis resilience.
This year’s theme acknowledges the escalating global mental health crisis, with particular emphasis on the vulnerability of youth as a priority group. It underscores the necessity of empowering young individuals to address their physical and mental health requirements and urges policymakers to ensure they are not marginalized. These renewed commitments present an opportune moment for us to expedite our efforts. The far-reaching repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic challenges have led to a significant surge in mental health conditions among young people. Since 2020, there has been a concerning 25 percent increase in cases of anxiety and depression among youths.
Within the Commonwealth, young voices have been actively engaged in conveying the significance of addressing mental health to policymakers. At the 2022 Commonwealth Youth Forum, young advocates deliberated on avenues to address mental health, including advocating for the inclusion of mental health services at all levels of healthcare delivery through various advocacy activities. Proposals included prioritizing coping strategies for mental health challenges within school curricula and the launch of the Dhaka-Kigali Mental Health Compact, which aims to address mental health among children, adolescents, and youth.
To further elevate this agenda and build upon the commitments made at the 2023 Health Ministers Meeting, young advocates organized an intergenerational dialogue to foster collaboration between young leaders and mental health policymakers. The discussions generated recommendations for national and regional interventions aimed at enhancing mental health provisions across the Commonwealth.
As the Commonwealth Youth Health Network (CYHN) caucus in East Central and Southern Africa (ECSA), and in solidarity with their colleagues worldwide, the youth leaders extend their welcome to the UN high-level meeting on universal health coverage (UHC) and applaud the endeavors of the Commonwealth Heads of Government and Ministers in addressing the mounting burden of mental health among young individuals. They said, “We respectfully call upon all stakeholders to translate their commitments into tangible actions to confront the challenges posed by mental health among the youth”.
In this spirit, they recommend practical approaches designed to expedite the efforts of Commonwealth countries:
- Assess the effectiveness of strategies and policies implemented to address the mental health burden among youth and allocate increased national budgetary resources for mental health services.
- Integrate youth-friendly services, leveraging communication through social media platforms like TikTok or Twitter, and actively advocate for reducing the stigma and discrimination faced by young individuals with mental health conditions at the community level.
- Collaborate with existing youth-led organizations and support initiatives focused on addressing the mental health crisis, encompassing prevention, care, and treatment for mental health patients.
- Safeguard youth against the social determinants of mental health by offering opportunities for skill development, self-employment, and employment.
The youth leaders are committed to working alongside the Commonwealth Secretariat and the East, Central, and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) to move beyond commitments and towards effective implementation. They firmly believe that it is feasible to address the substantial burden of mental health conditions among young individuals through the realization of commitments made by the Commonwealth Heads of Government, in conjunction with the strategies they have proposed. On this World Mental Health Day, they expressed hopes that all stakeholders will act with urgency to avert the impending mental health crisis.
