From Inconceivable to Influential: Youth at the World Health Assembly, lessons from the Being WHA side event

Hear from Aviwe Funani, our Senior Policy Officer for Children and Youth based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the World Health Organisation’s annual gathering, where global leaders and stakeholders come together to shape decisions and strategies for advancing global health. Traditionally, the WHA has been seen as a space reserved for health ministers and select international Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

“Having youth attendance at the WHA is something that was inconceivable ten years ago.” – Dr Shekar Saxena

Today, that landscape is shifting. Young people are not only gaining access to these global platforms, they are leading, advocating for their generation, and claiming their rightful place as equal and active participants. For the Being Initiative, ensuring youth presence and leadership during global moments has become a cornerstone of our approach to transforming the mental health ecosystem.

This year at the WHA, in partnership with the Being Learning Network and the South African Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, we co-hosted a youth-led side event: Accelerating Action and Investment in Youth Mental Health. Designed to be vibrant and youth friendly, the event created an inclusive space for meaningful dialogue and connection between youth advocates, government, policy makers, funders, and global mental health stakeholders.

Speakers at the event stressed the value of collaboration and prioritising youth voices when advocating for youth mental health programs and their financing. At a time when global health financing is a difficult topic to discuss, the Being initiative challenged the despondency with hope. By stressing the role of youth informed and collaborative funding models. These models promote continuous innovation by:

Encouraging collaborative and diversified funding sources instead of relying on a single donor.
Involving young people in the design of funding calls to ensure alignment with scalable and high-impact solutions.
Building a supportive ecosystem that nurtures the success of youth mental health initiatives by influencing national and global spaces.

A highlight of the session was the presence of Mrs. Lebogang Lebese, Health Attaché at the South African Mission to the UN in Geneva. She spoke powerfully about the need to create space for youth voices, the role of mentorship and representation, and the framing of youth mental health. She emphasised that this can only be done by advocating youth mental health as both a human right and a critical element for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As we approach the 80th UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, let us be reminded that there is room at the table for young people to participate and lead. It is up to us to continue creating space, supporting their advocacy, and recognising them as experts and change-makers in mental health.

“This event is important for us because it deals with issues of adolescents, a priority area for our Government and the mental health of adolescents is a priority.” – H.E Lebogang Lebese, Health Attache – South African Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva

Learn more about some of the events we co-hosted with partners and global advocates from the Global Mental Health Action Network (each link opens up a short video):