Thematic Dialogue Series on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health: Environmental Risk Factors for NCDs and Mental Health

Overview

Antigua and Barbuda, Belgium, Ghana, Georgia, Japan, and Thailand, in conjunction with the WHO and UN Foundation, co-hosted an interactive dialogue under Chatham House rules focusing on the impact of environmental risk factors on NCDs and mental health, along with potential mitigation strategies. This discussion, part of a series preparing for the Fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health in September 2025, provided Member States and global health partners a platform to examine how factors including air pollution, climate change, extreme heat, water and sanitation issues, food security, and nutrition affect NCD and mental health outcomes. Speakers addressed the complex relationship between health and environmental challenges while raising policy solutions that could be considered in the lead up to the High-Level Meeting.