Minister of Social Development and Family H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi (second right); Minister of Public Health H E Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud (fourth right); and other dignitaries at the Sixth Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The Sixth Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit opened yesterday in Doha, spotlighting digital innovation to expand access and deliver more responsive mental health care, under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The two-day Summit — hosted by Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Public Health — is being held under the theme “Transforming Mental Health through Investment, Innovation, and Digital Solutions”. It addresses the evolving challenges and opportunities in mental health care.
Minister of Public Health H E Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud in his opening remarks described the summit as an opportunity “to work together to advance mental health in all regions of the world, through a shared vision of a healthier and more inclusive future.”
He stressed that under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar places great importance on public health and has launched dedicated strategies and national frameworks to promote mental well-being, aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
He emphasised Qatar’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation, particularly in light of global challenges and humanitarian crises, and called mental health a “fundamental human right.”
The Minister underlined the need to translate commitments into strong national actions, highlighting the WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030 and regional initiatives such as the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Action Plan for Mental Health.
He also expressed confidence that the Summit, the first of its kind in the Middle East, “will mark a significant step forward” and reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to investment, innovation, equity, and joint action to improve mental health for future generations.
The opening ceremony was attended by Their Excellencies the Ministers, together with representatives of states, international and regional organisations concerned with mental health, as well as experts and specialists from across the globe.
During the opening ceremony, a special video was presented highlighting major global mental health issues and the significance of the ministerial summits in unifying countries’ efforts for joint action to advance mental health care worldwide. Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, underscored the urgent need to make mental health a central pillar of universal health coverage.
In a recorded address to the gathering in Qatar she said, “There is no health without mental health.” She warned that hundreds of millions of people worldwide live with untreated and unsupported mental health conditions, with stigma and underinvestment keeping too many “in the shadows, losing dignity, potential, and productivity.”
She stressed that without stronger action, “the promise of the 2030 Agenda cannot be fulfilled.”
Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Qatar’s leadership in hosting the summit, describing it as an important platform to address key global mental health challenges.
“The issues we discuss here capture many of the challenges facing mental health globally,” he said, pointing to the need to harness digital technologies while also protecting against their harmful effects, and to strengthen financing for effective interventions, particularly in emergencies and humanitarian crises.
