Professor Peter Azzopardi, a commission member and the head of the Global Adolescent Health Group at Australia’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, stated: “By 2030, we anticipate that half of the world’s adolescents will reside in environments with complex disease burden profiles.”
What challenges are young people facing?
“While climate change impacts us all, it uniquely threatens young people, with climate anxiety and the repercussions of climate displacement creating significant risks,” he remarked.
The report emphasizes the mental and physical impacts of conflict and displacement, noting that millions of youths grow up in or flee active war zones, with at least four such conflicts occurring worldwide today.
In consultations, young people themselves called for better mental health literacy and an end to stigma.
A call for urgent investment
“The time to act is now.”
“We’ve failed to really engage with young people meaningfully,” Azzopardi said.
Six key recommendations
— Prioritising youth voices in policy making and advocacy
— Establishing clear global goals to measure and track adolescent health and well-being
— Scaling up access to sexual and reproductive health services and protections against gender-based violence
— Strengthening actions within health and education sectors while reinforcing collaborations
— Limiting the exposure of advertising targeting adolescents
