The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health
Launched April 2022
The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health seeks to address the increasing global burden of mental health conditions in youth through investment and action
Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development and future. However, one in seven adolescents live with a diagnosed mental health disorder. This is 13 percent of adolescents worldwide. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, children and young people carried the burden of mental health risks, with half of all mental disorders developing before age 15, and 75% by early adulthood.
Despite this, wide gaps exist between mental health needs and mental health funding. Globally only 2.1% of government health expenditure is allocated to mental health. We pay a high economic price for this neglect – around US$387.2 billion worth of lost human potential that could go towards national economies each year. The cost in terms of how it affects real lives, however, is incalculable.
Launched in 2022 with the support of the Z Zurich Foundation, the Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health was born out of the belief that the mental health of youth could not be addressed by one entity alone but through collective action. Today, the Coalition is an alliance of UNICEF partners including Jo Malone London, Sony Group Corporation, Spotify, Zurich Insurance Group and Z Zurich Foundation.
Together, the Coalition seeks to address the increasing global burden of mental health conditions in youth through investment and action. Our four objectives drive the Coalition’s activities:
- Challenge stigma, raise awareness and change the global conversation on the need to protect and support child, youth, and caregiver mental health
- Call for governments to invest and act on child and youth mental health
- Increase private and public investment in child and youth mental health
- Drive business practice and influence to support child, youth and caregiver mental health including in the workplace
For more information about the Coalition, including opportunities to join, please visit www.youthmentalhealthcoalition.org or contact corporate-partnerships@unicef.org.
Page last edited 15 April 2024
