UNICEF and the Z Zurich Foundation are seeking partners from the private and public sectors to join the Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being, an initiative being launched to address the severe global shortage of funding and action in support of young people’s mental health.

To help close this gap, members of the new coalition will contribute financial and other resources to support UNICEF’s youth mental health programmes, as well as advocacy and knowledge sharing. As an initial goal, the Coalition aims to pool sufficient resources to benefit 30 million young people in 30 countries by 2030.

“The Coalition’s unique approach bridges a critical gap in how the mental well-being of young people is addressed on a global scale. We are pleased to lead this Coalition with UNICEF,” said Gary Shaughnessy, chair of the Z Zurich Foundation. “Our commitment to this first action of the Coalition is a call for others to join us to ensure that we can adequately respond to the mental well-being needs of millions of refugees in Europe.”

Following this initial campaign, the Coalition aims to mobilise investment and action in countries around the world to strengthen young people’s social and emotional skills and provide supportive environments for their mental well-being. The Coalition will build on and scale up the investment, programmes, tools and activities generated through UNICEF and the Foundation’s existing partnership on adolescent mental health promotion.

Launched in 2021, the partnership aims to benefit more than half a million adolescents and caregivers in seven countries through skills building for young people, strengthening caregiver support and capacity building for facilitators. It also aims to reach 30 million people worldwide with messaging through a communication campaign.

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