12 March 2020, President House – Growing global evidence about mental disorders suggests that social factors are strongly related to mental health. Mental health conditions are one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. There is limited awareness and great stigma attached to mental illness. This is a challenge across the world, in particular in South Asia where literacy rates are lower. Given these constraints, the SDGs Task Force hosted a Parliamentary Mental HealthSummit on March 12, 2020 at the Presidency. The aim of the Summit was to learn and share experiences to bring about a legislative intervention for the protection and promotion of mental health education across the country. Besides parliamentarians, diplomatic missions, civil society, international partners, academia and media attended the event.
