WHO’s work is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” The Goals inform projects and policies across the Organization, including guidelines on housing, urban development, transportation systems and health care delivery.

Close to 800 000 people die by suicide every year; that’s one person every 40 seconds. Suicide occurs throughout life. It is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally. 

Suicide occurs in all regions of the world. In fact, 79% of global suicides happen in low- and middle-income countries. 

1  End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2  End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3  Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4  Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5  Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6  Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7  Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Substandard and falsified medical products create many problems for both the individual taking the medicine and for families, the larger society, health care system and supply chain. When medicines do not work the way they should, they can fail to treat or prevent disease, contribute to antimicrobial resistance, waste precious resources and lead to a loss of confidence in medicines and distrust of healthcare providers. This can have a negative socioeconomic impact, contributing to related loss in productivity and adding expenses to the individual and national health system.

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies or excesses in nutrient intake, imbalance of essential nutrients or impaired nutrient utilization. The double burden of malnutrition consists of both undernutrition and overweight and obesity, as well as diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Undernutrition manifests in four broad forms: wasting, stunting, underweight, and micronutrient deficiencies.

In 2018, stunting affected an estimated 21.9% or 149 million children under the age of 5 years, while wasting affected 7.3% or 49 million children under the age of 5 years. Around 45% of deaths among children under the age of 5 years are linked to undernutrition. These mostly occur in low- and middle-income countries. At the same time, in these same countries, rates of childhood overweight and obesity are rising. Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Combating malnutrition in all its forms is one of the greatest global health challenges.

WHO works with Member States and partners towards the goal of ending all forms of malnutrition by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Meeting this goal is contingent on securing universal access to effective nutrition interventions and to healthy diets from sustainable and resilient food systems.

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the important role mental health plays in achieving global development goals, as illustrated by the inclusion of mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely – as much as two decades early – due to preventable physical conditions.