WHO warns that suicide ranks third among youth deaths worldwide and urges decisive action on mental health and noncommunicable diseases ahead of the UN General Assembly.
The World Health Organisation has warned that suicide is now the third leading cause of death among young people, calling for urgent global action on mental health and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a video message on X ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, said, “Noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, include seven of the world’s top ten causes of death, including cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.”
He added, “More than one billion people face mental health conditions, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.” Tedros emphasised that these illnesses impose “huge costs for health systems and economies,” urging governments to resist industry pressures and invest in prevention.
A draft UN political declaration aims by 2030 to cut tobacco use by 150 million people, expand mental health care for another 150 million, and ensure 150 million achieve hypertension control. Nigeria’s suicide mortality rate stands at 3.5 per 100,000 people.