The Fourth UN High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health convened in September at the UN General Assembly, bringing together heads of state, government leaders, and health officials from around the world. The meeting marked a historic moment: for the first time, mental health was firmly embedded within a UN Political Declaration on NCDs.
IASP President, Professor Jo Robinson attended various events in New York to represent the suicide prevention community and amplify the call for urgent, collective action.
“We are at a pivotal moment for suicide prevention and mental health globally,” said Professor Robinson. “We need Member States to deliver on their commitment to decriminalise suicide, implement evidence-based prevention strategies, and invest in mental health services that are community-based, equitable, and grounded in human rights. Young people in particular have told us they feel a lack of hope for the future – we must include them in the decisions that affect their lives.”
The importance of partnerships across sectors was also highlighted – from technology companies to governments – to ensure safe online environments, evidence-based regulation, and appropriate use of emerging tools such as AI and chatbots in mental health care.
The draft Political Declaration, the result of lengthy negotiations, sets out ambitious and measurable commitments:
- Expanding access to mental health care for 150 million more people by 2030.
- Reducing tobacco use by 150 million people and ensuring 150 million more people have hypertension under control.
- Integrating mental health into primary health care systems, shifting from institutional models to community-based, rights-based services.
- Addressing the social, commercial, and environmental determinants of health, including measures to reduce harmful marketing, unhealthy products, and air pollution.
- Increasing financing for mental health, with a global target of raising spending from 2% to 5% of health budgets by 2030.
This Declaration matters because it explicitly recognised mental health and suicide prevention as central to the global NCD agenda including measurable targets, detailed rights-based approaches, and included suicide prevention as a core priority. By framing suicide not only as a health challenge but also as a human rights and equity issue, it set the stage for governments to adopt stronger policies, invest sustainably, and integrate prevention into universal health coverage
Key points include:
- Decriminalisation of suicide; Governments are urged to repeal laws that criminalise suicide and suicidal behaviour, which increase stigma and block access to care.
- Evidence-based interventions – The declaration calls for national implementation of WHO’s LIVE LIFE approach, including:
- Limiting access to the most common means of suicide.
- Promoting responsible media reporting.
- Building life skills in young people.
- Ensuring timely identification, management and follow-up for those at risk.
- National helplines – Ensuring crisis support is available to everyone, everywhere.
- Youth focus – Recognising that suicide is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults, and urging investment in school-based and community-based prevention programmes.
- Rights-based approaches – Protecting people affected by suicidal behaviours from discrimination and ensuring care is equitable, person-centred, and community-based.
These commitments represent a significant step forward. But they must now be translated into national strategies, services and funding to achieve meaningful change.
While the declaration won overwhelming support from UN member states, it did not receive consensus endorsement at the High-Level Meeting. Instead, it will now proceed to a formal vote in the General Assembly in the coming weeks.
Despite this procedural setback, momentum remains strong. The draft represents the most comprehensive global agreement to date on NCDs and mental health, affirming the central role of the World Health Organization in guiding Member States, and setting clear global targets to accelerate progress.
The inclusion of suicide prevention and mental health in the declaration marks a turning point in international health policy. Countries must now translate these commitments into tangible action at the national level, ensuring that prevention, treatment, and support for NCDs and mental health are fully integrated into universal health coverage, supported by sustainable financing, and implemented in ways that respect human rights and reduce inequities.
