The World Health Assembly (WHA), the biggest global health event of the year, was held from 27th May to 1st June 2024. It was encouraging to see mental health being highlighted this year at the assembly, attended by health ministers from 194 countries, policymakers, civil society, and other stakeholders. IASP was delighted to engage with the 77th WHA by presenting constituency statements on key agenda items, advocating for the urgent need for comprehensive mental health services.
In his opening address, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), highlighted the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions and stressed the need for urgent efforts to make significant progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Dr Tedros urged member states to consider and adopt the 14th General Programme of Work, a collective strategy to accelerate progress towards these goals and improve equity. He also highlighted the significant global efforts in increasing access to mental health services through the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health. Throughout the assembly, various member states emphasised the importance of mental health and suicide prevention within their statements, such as Chile, Albania, and Belize. The delegates also agreed to integrate mental health and psychosocial support responses across all stages of emergencies.
During the assembly, IASP collaborated with other non-state actors to deliver statement on 5 agenda items: 11.1 Universal Health Coverage, 11.2 Follow-up to the political declaration on NCDs, 13.4 Inter governmental negotiating body on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, 15.4 Climate and Health, and 17 WHO draft fourteenth general programme of work. For agenda item 11.1, member states were urged to adopt an equity and human rights-based approach by prioritizing comprehensive primary health care, to be able to meet the targets for NCDs and mental health conditions. Similarly, the statement for agenda item 11.2 aimed to highlight the growing burden of NCDs and mental health conditions and urged member states to integrate NCDs into global health and development agendas. The remaining agenda item statements focused on strengthening the healthcare workforce, ensuring equitable health financing, integrating mental health within health services, and investing in resilient health systems.
According to WHO estimates, one in four people will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Similarly, more than 700,000 individuals lose their lives to suicide every year. Despite this high prevalence, mental health and suicide prevention still receive the least attention among other public health issues, with substantial gaps in care and stigma. Although the 2024 WHA has set the stage to begin conversations in mental health and suicide prevention, governments and other stakeholders must continue to work together to implement these commitments and translate them into tangible outcomes. IASP will continue advocating for the integration of mental health and suicide prevention services into primary care and the urgent need to address the social determinants of mental health and suicide.
