World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the formation of a ‘Commission on Social Connection’ to address loneliness as an impending threat to mental health around the world. This commission will comprise 11 members from around the world.
The commission intends to boost social connection as a priority and promote solutions for the unique health threat.
Senior Pakistani Advocate and Human Rights Defender Hina Jillani has also been nominated as one of the 11 commissioners from across the globe. She will participate in the first leadership-level meeting on December 6-8, to be held at the WHO secretariat. The meeting is aimed at forming a flagship report released by the mid-point of the three-year initiative.
Speaking to Dawn, Ms Jillani said, “It has been observed that people, families, and even communities are being isolated because of social media networks. Physical interaction has been reducing day by day. There is a need to find a solution to the issue. In countries like Pakistan, there is an issue that the younger people are migrating to the developed countries due to which their parents will be left alone and will face a severe kind of isolation.”
One in four older people experience social isolation and the rates are broadly similar in all regions. Among adolescents, between 5–15 per cent experience loneliness, according to research findings.
The rest of the 11 commissioners also include Japan’s loneliness minister Ayuko Kato, Minister of Health and Social Protection in Morocco Khalid Ait Taleb, Sweden’s Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed, Chile’s Minister of Health Ximena Aguilera Sanhueza, Permanent Representative to the UN from Kenya Cleopa Mailu, Minister of Climate Change Vanuatu Ralph Regenvanu, Deaf-Blind Advocate and Activist of United States Haben Girma and United States Google Chief Health Officer Karen Desalvo.
This commission will find a new agenda on social connections, raising awareness, and building collaborations that will drive evidence-based solutions for countries, communities and individuals.
