Strengthening Mental Health Systems for Youth: A Global Initiative (2025)

A Global Call to Action: Prioritizing Mental Health for Our Youth

In a world where the mental well-being of children and young people is often overlooked, a groundbreaking initiative is taking shape. The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with dedicated governments, has embarked on a mission to revolutionize mental health support systems worldwide.

But here's where it gets controversial: despite the growing demand for improved mental health services, especially in schools, many countries face significant challenges. A global shortage of child and adolescent mental health professionals, limited training opportunities, and a lack of funding directed towards this critical area have left our youth vulnerable.

Strengthening Community-Based Mental Health Systems

The WHO, recognizing the urgency, has launched a multi-country initiative focused on knowledge exchange and mental health systems analysis. This initiative aims to fortify community-based mental health systems specifically tailored for children and young people. By building upon the recently published WHO-UNICEF guidance, countries can develop unique approaches to enhance access to quality mental health support.

The guidance emphasizes promoting quality care standards and establishing networks that seamlessly integrate healthcare, community mental health services, and cross-sectoral collaborations. This holistic approach ensures that mental health support is not an isolated effort but a collaborative, community-wide endeavor.

The Power of Cross-Learning and Collaboration

A key aspect of this initiative is the knowledge exchange platform, bringing together stakeholders from Ministries of Health, relevant government agencies, and WHO representatives at various levels. Through these collaborative meetings, gaps, challenges, and opportunities are identified, leading to prioritized actions for strengthening mental health systems for our youth.

And this is the part most people miss: the initiative places a strong emphasis on youth engagement at the country level. Recognizing the vital role young people play in systems strengthening and reform, the latest WHO Atlas data (2024) reveals a concerning trend. Fewer than half of national governments actively collaborate with service users, including youth, in service planning. This decrease from 2020 across all regions highlights the need for increased youth involvement.

Data-Driven Solutions: The Child and Adolescent National Systems Assessment Tool

As part of the knowledge exchange initiative, WHO is supporting countries in gathering crucial data on service availability and system performance. The Child and Adolescent National Systems Assessment Tool, an adapted version of the WHO-AIMS tool, maps mental health services, policies, and systems for children and adolescents at national and district levels. By engaging young people and their caregivers, the tool identifies data gaps across health, education, and social service sectors, offering valuable insights into mental health service delivery.

Catalyzing Reform and Evidence-Based Planning

The projected outcomes of this data collection exercise are significant. A national overview of the mental health system for children and adolescents will empower national stakeholders to engage in informed policy and service dialogues, leading to better programming and resource allocation. In many countries, this tool facilitates the first-ever baseline data collection, providing a comprehensive understanding of existing mental health systems for youth.

This project, supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada, Botnar Foundation, and Iconiq, is already making an impact. Countries leading Phase I include Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Lesotho, Senegal, and Mozambique. Phase II will expand participation, inviting more countries from the African region and beyond to join this vital mission.

For more information and to get involved, reach out to Chiara Servili (servilic@who.int). Together, we can ensure that every child and young person has access to the mental health support they deserve.