A wake-up call: the second Commission on adolescent health

The second Commission started its work in 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, its goal was to focus on accelerating the implementation of the first Commission's recommendations towards the Sustainable Development Goals and beyond, to realise the so-called triple dividend: the immediate benefits for adolescents’ health and wellbeing, for their health and wellbeing as adults, and for that of future generations.

 

Since then, however, multiple new threats and changing realities have emerged for the wellbeing of adolescents. The full detrimental consequences of the pandemic for mental health and development of young people became apparent. The climate crisis is accelerating. Wars are taking place in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Commercial influences continue to threaten adolescent wellbeing unabated. The digital environment is rapidly changing. The second Commission therefore focuses its work and recommendations on how best to advance adolescent health and wellbeing amid these new developments.

 

Unless courageous actions are taken now, the future for adolescents looks bleak. The Commission estimates that by 2100, 1·8 billion adolescents will live in a world that is about 2·8°C warmer than in pre-industrial times; large numbers of adolescents will face food insecurity, economic challenges, and armed conflicts; and by 2030, a third of adolescents living in high-income countries, Latin America, and the Middle East will be living with overweight or obesity.