Realising transformative change in adolescent health and wellbeing: a second Lancet Commission

UN agencies, major donors, networks, and governments have included young people in initiatives such as the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents’ Health and its associated funding mechanisms.3 The global community has embraced a broader view of the determinants of adolescent health and wellbeing, one that recognises that effective policies lie across multiple sectors and government ministries.4 There has been investment in better data systems for adolescent health and wellbeing, notably in mental health.5 Crucially, there has also been growing recognition of young people as essential partners in advocacy and policy development.6 Freepix/Pexels/Shutterstock Yet, in 2022, the health and wellbeing of adolescents is poised at a tipping point. War, political oppression, economic insecurity, and climate catastrophe have further affected the policy landscape, bringing an increase in forced migration and compromising the future for the most disadvantaged of this generation.7 Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge social and economic disruption to young people, with unprecedented interruptions in education, and profound effects on mental health.8 The consequences in many countries will probably be reversals in hard-fought gains in adolescent sexual and reproductive health, food security and nutrition, education, and employment. The current UN Secretary-General has called on the world “to think for the long term, to deliver more for young people and succeeding generations and to be better prepared for the challenges ahead”.11 This Second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing seeks to ensure that today's adolescents have the means to address the unique challenges of their generation.