The 2016 report of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing was published shortly after the launch of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, and became a focal point for global discussions around adolescent health evidence and gaps. It presented a comprehensive and integrated perspective on adolescent health needs, together with a synthesis of existing evidence on effective responses. 

The Commission made six recommendations around better tracking of health needs, promotion of more effective health service system and inter-sectoral responses and ensuring the development of frameworks for accountability that include the participation and engagement of young people themselves. 

The Lancet proposed a Standing Commission, with the following objectives: 

• Expand the meaningful participation of young people as part of the Standing Commission’s work (Lancet Youth Network);
• Develop the capacity of academics and advocates worldwide to maintain the visibility of, and monitor progress in, adolescent health;
• Grow an evidence base for cost-effective actions to improve adolescent health that could be taken to scale at country and sub-national levels;
• Outline sustainable and scalable strategies for action through partnerships with other initiatives and sectors; and
• Generate knowledge for action through new evidence designed to improve policies and programs around neglected aspects of adolescent health.

Current initiatives include an analyses of future NCD risks (2024) and a Lancet series on adolescent indigenous health (2025).