Our future: a Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing
This is the largest generation of adolescents and young adults in human history (1.8 billion), they are a group that demands more attention and action. Adolescents and young adults face unprecedented social, economic, and cultural change. This Lancet Commission argues that there are tremendous unrealised opportunities not only for the health and wellbeing of young people themselves but also for the future of society and future generations. Inaction however remains a threat to health, economic development, and even the health of our planet. The most powerful actions for adolescent health and wellbeing are intersectoral, multilevel, and multicomponent and engage and empower young people themselves to be part of change and accountability mechanisms.
The report, commentaries and translations are available for download from: http://www.thelancet.com/commissions/adolescent-health-and-wellbeing.
The Commission would especially like to thank the editors of the Lancet, as well as Ban Ki-Moon and Melinda Gates for their supportive commentaries:
“The biggest opportunity during the next 15 years and beyond is to make adolescents the human face of the Sustainable development Goals.” – Kleinert and Horton
“For me, the acronym ‘SDG’ also stands for Sustainable Development Generation, and sustainability means engaging future generations today.” – Ban Ki-Moon
“The Lancet Commission is a powerful reminder that there is more to do to meet the unique needs of adolescents. And the compelling findings of the Commission must serve as an important wake-up call to individuals, organisations, and governments to support a new approach.” – Melinda Gates
The Lancet Commission group first met in London in 2009 to plan the commission’s work. The commission was established under the leadership of adolescent health specialists at The University of Melbourne (George Patton and Susan Sawyer), The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (David Ross), University College London (Russell Viner) and Columbia University (John Santelli). The commission has 30 members from 14 countries spanning Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East and North and South America.
The report was launched on Tuesday 10 May, 2016 at UCL, London. We would like to thank all the commissioners, panellists and support staff that took part in this very momentous event, and we thank all those who helped with the organisation of the event.
Commission chair, Professor George Patton discusses how the world’s 1.8 billion adolescents have the power to positively transform the future.
Commissioner, Professor Susan Sawyer discusses where the burden of disease lies in adolescents and how a broader approach beyond the health sector is needed to improve adolescent health around the world.
Youth Commissioner, Kikelomo Taiwo-Idowu emphasises the importance of governments engaging with adolescents and ensuring that young people around the world are given a voice.
Chiedza’s song: A story from Zimbabwe in support of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. This is a trailer for Chiedza’s song, and tells the story of a young Zimbabwean woman growing up with HIV. The trailer highlights some of the themes of youth health being developed by the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing.