UNIS/SGSM/1353
4 October 2023
Mental health is vital to humanity, allowing us to lead fulfilling lives and contribute fully to our communities.
Yet one in eight people around the world lives with a mental health condition, with women and young people being disproportionately impacted. Three in four people affected receive inadequate treatment – or no care at all. And many face stigma and discrimination.
Mental health is not a privilege but a fundamental human right – and must be part of universal health coverage. Governments must provide care that promotes people’s recovery and upholds their rights. This includes strengthening community-based support and integrating psychological help into broader health and social care.
We must also tackle abuses and break down the barriers that prevent people from seeking support. And we must address root causes – poverty, inequality, violence, discrimination – and create more compassionate and resilient societies.
On World Mental Health Day and every day, let us reaffirm and uphold mental health as a universal human right, and together, build a healthier world where everyone can thrive.
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Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
Journalists are invited to cover the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) to be held from 19 to 23 May in Vienna, Austria.
"On this Day of Vesak, I extend my warmest wishes to Buddhists worldwide as they commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha." — António Guterres
"In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth: Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press." — António Guterres
