The World Federation of Public Health Associations affirms the universal right to mental health and calls for a whole-system approach. In the report, social connection is being used synonymously with social health, implying that social isolation and loneliness are the main forms of social disconnection. This appears very simplified: social health is a broader concept, shaped by conflict, migration, insecurity, discrimination, and poor living conditions. Mental health policies should address all these determinants.

We ask Member States to consider addressing gender stigma and the gender gap in mental health and strategies to effectively provide psychosocial support in PHC settings. Mental health interventions should be context specific and culturally relevant: Member States should consider them essential in humanitarian response, alongside food, shelter, and medicine, and link mental health to peacebuilding.