By LifeLine International Director of Policy, Dr Alan Woodward

A milestone to celebrate at the end of this year – the vote on the UN High-Level Meeting Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health (and Suicide Prevention) on December 15th, 2025, with 175 UN states/countries voting in favour, two voting against (the US and Argentina), and one abstained (Paraguay).

The political statement promotes key elements of suicide prevention strategies, including the importance of providing support for people in suicidal crisis.

Crucially, the political declaration advances the priority required for action on younger people’s mental health and suicide prevention. It explicitly recognises that suicide is the third leading cause of death for younger people (those aged under 29 years), globally.

The statement clearly recognises the impact of mental health and wellbeing on broader health, equity and economic opportunity for individual States/Countries and globally. In other words, that there is no health without mental health, and that there will be limitations on sustainable development without attention to mental health.

“… mental health conditions prevent people and communities from reaching their full potential, pose a heavy economic burden, limit human capital development, can undermine the sustainability of health systems and, together with other health conditions, compound cycles of poverty and disadvantage;”

Those of us working on crisis helplines know how a person’s mental health and wellbeing plays out in their lives and manifest as difficulties coping with immediate challenges, fractures in personal and family relationships, destructive behaviours including substance and alcohol use, addictions, and self-harm or suicide.

We know that underlying economic and social determinants – often related to poverty, discrimination, and violence/conflicts – are present in many people’s lives. We hear people’s experiences of how financial and social inequities affect their mental health.

The political declaration is a global call to action on mental health and wellbeing and a clear recognition of the investment, equity and health/human rights elements for this.

The political declaration represents a significant call to address financing and policy action to increase State and Governments commitments to mental health and suicide prevention. Targets will encourage all countries to move towards integration of mental health in primary health systems, and to increase the resources put to mental health services and preventative measures, including access to psychosocial supports.

Civil society – non-government organisations and charities – will play a critical part in addressing global non-communicable diseases and mental health. LifeLine International is one of those who will stand ready to work with others on this goal.

The full political statement is available at this weblink: World leaders adopt a historic global declaration on noncommunicable diseases and mental health