Young leaders from more than 40 countries have issued an urgent call to address social isolation and loneliness as a fundamental public health priority, adopting a landmark declaration at the Global Model WHO 2025 in Geneva this week.
The Global Model WHO Youth Declaration on Social Connection, approved by nearly 400 delegates at WHO headquarters, demands national strategies, community investments, and inclusive digital policies designed to foster belonging and reduce loneliness across populations. The declaration emerged from the second in-person Global Model WHO (GMWHO), a partnership initiative between WHO and the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) that simulates the World Health Assembly.
Mental health crisis demands systemic response
“Social connection is the missing pillar of global health,” said Ida Marchese, Director-General of the Global Model WHO 2025. “Our generation has grown up in an age of digital connection but social disconnection. This declaration is our call to rebuild communities where every person feels seen, valued and supported.”
The four-day simulation brought together six youth delegates from each WHO region to examine policies and community strategies informed by the WHO Commission on Social Connection. The Commission’s recent report revealed that loneliness affects one in six people worldwide, with rates highest amongst younger populations and in lower-income countries. The condition contributes to an estimated 871,000 deaths annually.
Evidence base strengthens case for intervention
The WHO Commission on Social Connection, co-chaired by Dr Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States, and Ms Chido Mpemba, Special Adviser on Youth and Women to the African Union Chairperson, has positioned social connection as a vital yet historically overlooked component of wellbeing. The commission’s findings provided the scientific foundation for policy discussions throughout the simulation.
During the closing ceremony, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged delegates to translate their engagement into community action. “When you return home, carry this spirit of connection with you. Bring it to your families, your schools, your communities. Together, by building stronger human bonds, we can create healthier societies,” he said.
Youth diplomacy shapes health policy discourse
WFUNA Secretary-General Aziel Goulandris emphasised the broader implications of the declaration for global health systems. “This shows the power of youth diplomacy to shape healthier societies. Connection strengthens not only individuals but the global systems we rely on. The world cannot achieve health for all without social health for all,” Goulandris noted.
The simulation addressed multiple health policy domains, including mental health, vaccine hesitancy, health and migration, digital health, and artificial intelligence. However, delegates consistently reinforced that mental and social health are interdependent, with inclusion, empathy, and participation serving as essential components of global health infrastructure alongside clinical interventions and technology.
The declaration concludes with a commitment to action: “By acting with empathy, courage, and intentionality, we can transform isolation into belonging, silence into conversation, and indifference into collective care.”
