Importance of Mental Health in Achieving the United Nation’s

Importance of Mental Health in Achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals

Jin Hashimoto Intern from Teachers College, Columbia University

New York NY

The state of one's mental health and emotional well-being are extremely important concepts in human development. They help to establish a foundation for an individual's, family's, neighborhood's, and country's economic, cultural, and social development. The United Nations' (UN) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) states that it "is the right of everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health."

However, the current state of global mental health is alarming. A variety of sources (e.g., WHO & World Bank, 2011; WHO, 2001; OECD, 2014), describe the challenging situation surrounding mental illness, mental health, and emotional well being as the following:

The percentage of persons with serious mental disorders, in developing countries, and who do not receive any appropriate treatment, is 80%;

People with severe mental illnesses do not live as long as the general population. They usually die about 20 years earlier;

 Economic estimates place direct and indirect costs of mental illness at over four percent of the GDP worldwide;

The percentage of countries in the Western Pacific and on the African continent with no mental health policy, exceeds 50; and

Approximately one million people die due to suicide annually. This rate is higher than the number of deaths related to war and murders combined.

Increasing Global Awareness of Mental Health and Emotional Well Being The global community, government leaders, and UN representatives have been making progress to elevate the importance of mental health, as it impacts global outcomes. The UN General Assembly adopted the Declarations on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons (1971) and the Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care (1991). In addition, the UN General Assembly has designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day (UN, 2008) and March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day (2011).

UN representatives have established Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (UNECE, n.d.) in order to coalesce attention and efforts for global development. More recently, UN representatives established Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Time for Global Action, n.d.) in order to "invest in the future we want."

Most UN representatives and government leaders agree that MDGs have certainly served as a global framework to tackle poverty and have contributed to the world economic development. However, mental health was not included in the MDGs, or in their targets. The importance of mental health is clearly stated in the current draft of the

SDGs (Time for Global Action, 2015) that we need to "promote mental health and wellbeing" (Target 3.4). The synthesis report of the Secretary General on the post-2015 agenda also acknowledges the importance of promoting mental health as well as reducing mental illness

Further, in March 2015, the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

(WCDRR) was held in Japan. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN,

2015) was adopted and it clearly states that officials need to enhance recovery schemes

in order to provide psychosocial support and mental health services for all people in

need. Fig. 1 summarizes key developments in increasing global awareness about mental

health.

Figure 1. Key Developments in Increasing Global Awareness about Mental Health

Previous Efforts

Global Frameworks

Millennium Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) / the Post-2015 Development Agenda Draft developed by Open Working Group Mental Health is INCLUDED (Target 3.4) Synthesis report of Secretary-General on the post-2015 agenda

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 - Paragraph 19(ii)(g) Paragraph 33(o) of Sendai Framework "Enhance recovery schemes to provide psychosocial support and mental health services for all people in need"

In order to strengthen global commitment to mental health and emotional well-being, I believe an important tool is available and it is the UN resolution process. Resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly and other UN principle organizations carry ethical authority and reflect global public opinion. Use of the resolution process would

be one effective strategy to raise awareness about mental health, mental illness, and emotional well being as well as elevate these concepts as a global priority. I have reviewed a variety of resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly pertaining to mental health. I found that most resolutions are based on reports of the UN's Third Committee, which handles social, humanitarian, and cultural issues. Fig. 2 summarizes the UN resolution process.

Figure 2. UN General Assembly Resolution Process

UN GA Resolutions

UN GA Resolutions, GA HRC Resolutions, SC Resolutions, and ECOSOC Resolutions on Mental Well-being (Keywords: mental, psycology, psychological, psychosocial, emotion, emotional) by 2 February 2014

Symbol

Title

Committee

GA Resolutions (1993-) by Old ODS

1 48/95 (1993)

Positive and full inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and the leadership role of the United Nations therein

Third Committee (A/48/627)

2 48/96

Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Third Committee (A/48/627)

3 48/104

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women

Third Committee (A/48/629)

4 48/110 5 48/140 6 48/143 7 48/157 8 49/153 (1994) 9 49/165

Violence against women migrant workers

Third Committee (A/48/629)

Human rights and scientific and technological progress Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia

Third Committee (A/48/632/Add.2)

Third Committee (A/48/632/Add.3)

Protection of children affected by armed conflicts

Third Committee (A/48/634)

Towards full integration of persons with disabilities in society: implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, and of the Long-Term Strategy to Implement the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons to the Year 2000 and Beyond

Third Committee (A/49/605)

Violence against women migrant workers

Third Committee (A/49/607)

10 49/172 11 49/196 12 49/205 13 50/81 (1995)

Assistance to unaccompanied refugee minors

Third Committee (A/49/609)

Situation of human rights in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)

Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia

World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond

Third Committee (A/49/610/Add.3)

Third Committee (A/49/610/Add.3)

Without reference to a Main Committee (A/50/728)

Mental

Psychological/Ps ychosocial/Psyc

hology

Emotion/Emotion al

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

Third Committee (A/48/627) Third Committee (A/48/627) Third Committee (A/48/629) Third Committee (A/48/629) Third Committee (A/48/632/Add.2) Third Committee (A/48/632/Add.3) Third Committee (A/48/634) Third Committee (A/49/605) Third Committee (A/49/607) Third Committee (A/49/609) Third Committee (A/49/610/Add.3) Third Committee (A/49/610/Add.3) Without reference to a Main Committee (A/50/728)

Conclusion It is significant that mental health has been discussed in depth in the Third Committee. However, further discussion might be necessary about how to mainstream the science of psychology and psychological concepts, such as mental illness, emotional well being and mental health, into other relevant areas, particularly, in the areas of social, economic, and cultural development.

References

OECD. (2014). Making mental health count: The social and economic costs of neglecting mental health care. Retrieved from

Time for Global Action. (2015). Sustainable development goals. Retrieved from

UNECE. (n.d.). Millennium development goals. Retrieved from

UNISDR. (2015). Resolution A/RES/69/283 (Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015?2030). Retrieved from

UN General Assembly (2008). World autism awareness day. Resolution 62/139. Retrieved from

UN General Assembly (2011). World down syndrome day. Retrieved from

United Nations. (1966). Resolution 2200A (XXI) (International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights). Retrieved from

United Nations. (1971). Declarations on the rights of mentally retarded persons. Proclaimed by General Assembly Resolution 2856 (XXVI). Retrieved from

United Nations. (1991). Resolution A/RES/46/119 (Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care). Retrieved from

WHO. (2001). World health report 2001. Retrieved from

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