Policy Statement WFUNA

Policy Statement
Country: Republic of the Philippines

Committee: A2
Globally, it is estimated that 1 in 7 (14%) of people aged

10-19 years old suffer from a mental health condition,
while suicide is the third leading cause of death in grown
teenagers and young adults (15-29 years old). It is
evident that there is an ongoing mental health crisis
particularly affecting the youth and as responsible
member states of the United Nations, it is our duty to
collectively tackle this issue.
The Republic of the Philippines recognizes the immense
challenges the youth face regarding mental health and
recognizes its need for support. As a country, we have
taken numerous steps over the past years towards the
improvement of the quality and the requirements of our
mental health services. With crucial decisions such as the
Mental Health Act of 2018, we continuously strive to
improve the services we are offering to our citizens. In
order to promote people's well-being, the state has
pledged to: safeguard mental health; treat and prevent
mental health conditions; make timely, cost-effective,
high-quality, and culturally-appropriate mental health
cases available to the public; ensure that mental health
services are free from coercion and accountable to
service users; and allow people affected by mental health
conditions to fully exercise their human rights and
participate in society and the workplace without facing
stigma or discrimination.
We acknowledge the importance of this sector and thus
we continue to invest in it. During 2022-2023, the money
dedicated towards mental health in the Philippines was
increased from USD 10 million to USD 18 million, and we
shall continue to invest in the battle against depression,
anxiety and other mental health conditions.
Being classified as a developing economy by the World
Bank, we call for increased UN funding to ensure that
LEDCs as well as developing economies such as our own
are provided with the resources needed to succeed in
their efforts of improving the citizens’ mental health. This
will prove beneficial to both the world’s as well as the
countries’ economy, as a rise in productivity will, in the
long term, outweigh the initial investment of the United
Nations. Mental health conditions in our state costed our
economy a total of PHP 68.9 billion (US$ 1.37 billion) in
2021, according to a mental health investment case for
the Philippines launched by the Department of Health
(DOH) and the United Nations in Manila on 13 October
2021 during the 4th Public Health Convention on Mental
Health.
Furthermore, we strongly urge the implementation of a
combination of strict criteria for granting psychologists
and psychiatrists licenses with more compelling financial
incentives for positions of the kind. As a state of 115
million citizens and approximately 1,700 practicing
psychologists and even fewer psychiatrists, we are
acutely aware of the problem of increasing yet unmet
demand for professionals in this sector. Should this
profession be made more attractive to potential
candidates, we can confidently expect progress in the
matter.
Finally, we strongly recommend that the public and
especially the youth be made aware of facts and
misinformation regarding mental health through cost-free
public seminars, speeches and school initiatives, so as to
feel more encouraged to reach out to a professional
rather than taking matters into their own hands. Among
many countries’ societies, our own included, various
stigmas and stereotypes that ignore or do not recognize
mental health conditions exist and it is thus imperative
that the public be educated on the matter.
No matter the concrete evidence of the struggling youth,
the significance of this matter is oftentimes greatly
overlooked, partially due to ignorance and partially due to
inability to find effective solutions to it. Youth is a crucial
stage of one’s life, during which lasting memories are
created, personalities are shaped and experiences are
gained. The youth also represent the world’s future, and
it is the duty of current governments to ensure a stable,
thriving future global society, free or minimally affected
by mental health troubles. Hence, let us join forces as
one, united front against inaction towards this serious
issue, and let this conference serve as a spark that will
promote international cooperation on this topic for years
to come.

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Policy Statement WFUNA

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Policy Statement

Country: Republic of the Philippines

Globally, it is estimated that 1 in 7 (14%) of people aged

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