Dear colleagues and friends
Good afternoon, it’s an honour to be here, and I thank Elisha and Prospira Global for the invitation to address you
The fact that an organization like Prospira even exists says a lot about how far we have come in mental health
Over one billion people live with a mental health condition, yet most do not receive adequate care
Mental health conditions are among the leading causes of disability globally, and also impose high costs on households, employers and economies
Mental health accounts for only 2% of health budgets, unchanged since 2017
Spending disparities are wide, ranging from 65 US dollars per person in high-income countries to just 4 US cents per person in low-income countries.
For many years, mental health has been a neglected issue in societies and, unfortunately, even in global health
Over the past decade, that has changed dramatically. Mental health is now recognized as central to the well-being of individuals, societies and economies
Political commitment to mental health is at an all-time high
Just last month, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health
The declaration includes a global commitment to expand access to mental care to 150 million more people
That target is not sufficient on its own, but it is a meaningful step forward, and it gives us a concrete frame for action.
At the same time, we must be honest about the challenge before us: we are operating in a much more constrained financial environment
Public health budgets are tightening, geopolitical pressures are reshaping priorities, and the global health architecture is in flux.
In this context, public financing remains critical as the anchor of equity, accountability, and universality
But public funding alone is no longer sufficient to meet the scale of need
Private capital and philanthropy are therefore not an “extra” – they are an essential complement.
When strategically deployed, grounded in evidence, and aligned with public priorities, they can help sustain and accelerate progress at a time when momentum would otherwise slow.
Private funding for mental health is growing, but risks sporadic deployment without coordination.
Too much capital remains fragmented, short-term, or concentrated in high-income settings
Activity is increasing, but impact is uneven. This is the difference between momentum and maturity.
Mature financing is not about more individual projects. It is about alignment, pooled approaches, and shared accountability
It means flexible and, where possible, unrestricted funding that allows systems to respond to evolving needs
It means blended models where philanthropy can de-risk innovation and enable capital to flow to underserved settings
And it means investing with a long-term view, particularly for young people who bear the brunt of the global mental health burden.
This is where WHO plays a unique role. WHO provides the technical guidance, normative standards, and system-level perspective that help ensure capital strengthens, rather than fragments, the global mental health agenda
Through partnerships – and through mechanisms such as the WHO Foundation – private and philanthropic funding can support mental health in ways that are evidence-based, coordinated, and aligned with Member State priorities
We have seen this work when funding is pooled, guided by expertise, and focused on system-level outcomes
For example, the Iconiq Youth Mental Well-Being Co-Lab, shepherded by Prospira Global, is supporting 25 organizations that are reducing youth anxiety and depression, including WHO – and I thank Iconiq and Prospira for your support and leadership in this area.
My ask to all of you today is simple but demanding: to move beyond signalling support for mental health, and toward financing systems that deliver the quality mental health services that people need
If we do this well – together – private capital can help ensure that mental health is not only visible, but durable, equitable, and scaled for the long term.
Because there is no health without mental health.
I thank you
