- Director General, Ministry of Health, Government of Indonesia
- Senior officials from Ministries of Health and Ministries of the Environment from our WHO South-East Asia Region
- Distinguished participants from Member States
- Partners, Colleagues and Friends
Good morning, and welcome to this regional workshop to strengthen the capacity of countries to address the impact of climate change on mental health.
The world faces an existential climate crisis. Climate change exacerbates many social, environmental, and economic risk factors for mental health and psychosocial well-being. Yet, there are still significant gaps in many countries, between mental health needs and the availability and accessibility of mental health systems and services.
Climate change is increasingly having stronger and longer-lasting impacts on people, including affecting their mental health and psychosocial well-being. Several social, environmental, and economic determinants of mental health are negatively affected by climate change. Among WHO regions, our South-East Asia Region is the most vulnerable to this.
The result is an increase in mental health and psychosocial problems, putting an extra burden on the health system. Most scientists agree that climate change is unlikely to generate new classifications of mental disorders. However, it will exacerbate risk factors for emotional distress and worsen existing conditions, thereby increasing the need for support at the country level.
Given the existing gap in available mental health services, efforts must be made to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts to prevent further widening this gap. The health sector must also be better prepared for the unexpected surge in needs. There is a large gap in both knowledge of, and response to, climate change’s impact on mental health. There is an evident need to bring together climate and mental health officials from member states to ensure accelerated action.
Even without climate change, the global mental health situation is challenging. In our Region, it is estimated that approximately 260 million people live with a mental health condition, and more than 200,000 people die by suicide every year.
In our Region, the Malé Declaration and the Framework for action in building the health systems resilience to climate change acknowledge the importance of human, technical and financial resources to address this issue. They also call for capacity building support to help countries mobilize funds from global funding mechanisms.
Similarly, the Paro Declaration on universal access to people-centered mental health care and services, was endorsed by our Member States in 2022. It commits to ensuring an effective and comprehensive response to mental health needs. This includes establishing evidence-based and rights-oriented community mental health networks, and the deinstitutionalization of care for people with severe mental disorders. It also includes combating stigma and discrimination against people with mental disorders, as well as their families and caregivers, through community empowerment and active engagement of people with lived experience.
The Action Plan for Mental Health in the WHO South-East Asia Region provides an array of options to expand and strengthen user-oriented community mental health services. It also advocates for updating policies and laws in-line with international human rights instruments, to strengthen leadership and governance for mental health.
In preparing for and responding to this growing emergency, WHO recommends five key approaches:
- Integrate climate change considerations into policies and programs for mental health, including MHPSS, to better prepare for and respond to the climate crisis.
- Integrate MHPSS within policies and programs dealing with climate change and health
- Build upon global commitments
- Implement multi-sectoral and community-based approaches to reduce vulnerabilities and address the mental health and psychosocial impacts of climate change
- Address the large gaps in funding both for mental health and for responding to the health impacts of climate change
I hope this meeting is only the first step of our countries sharing experiences and learnings of aligning these recommendations with their needs and incorporating mental health into health national adaptation plans. Most importantly, I hope we will identify actions for country-level outcomes that urgently address the impact of climate change on mental health in policies and programmes.
On that note, I would like to conclude by wishing you a pleasant stay in Bali, and a very productive meeting. I look forward to the recommendations by our member states.
Thank you.