Mental Health Summit

30 September 2021

Queen Mathilde attended the launch of the WHO's Pan European Mental Health Coalition in Brussels.

She gave a speech in English.

"As an Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, I have made it a point to listen to the voices of people with mental health issues, from a number of countries, in both the developed and developing world. They want neglect and stigmatization to end, they want access to counseling and treatment, they long to be recognized as active members of their community, and they want dignity."

"For children and young people in particular, this period has been extremely challenging. The pandemic has profoundly disrupted their academic lives, their social and personal development and their early professional endeavors. Our youth are our future and our hope. We have an obligation to protect and to support them now."

"We should all care about the status of mental health services, because every one of us may potentially require those services, at a certain point in our lifetime."