We are working side by side to remove inequalities in wellbeing and mental health, and build thriving, resilient communities.
In the past year, thanks to our lululemon grant and partnership, we have:
- Grown and strengthened the world’s largest civil society network for mental health: GMHAN now connects 10,000 advocates across 176 countries and territories - an amazing 70% jump in membership in just one year, with 1 new member joining the Network every 2 hours!
- Focused on increasing our membership in previously underrepresented areas, such as the Middle East, China and the Western Pacific (all regions saw membership increase by over 100% through strategic partnerships with regional and national organisations).
- Helped young people, especially those with lived experience, make their voices heard on the global stage – from the United Nations to our Global Forum. As young people take the lead in more conversations on mental health than ever before, they’re increasingly instrumental in shaping the decisions that affect their mental health and wellbeing.
- Supported the emergence of grassroots activists and community leaders in low- and middle-income countries, and from among people with lived experience, to host events, shape policy and drive change. Policy changes driven by our community this year will touch 1,200,000 lives!
- Created infrastructure – like our Circle online community and Working Groups – that help people who are often excluded from important decisions to build collaborations.
Thank you for being our partner on this journey. We look forward to building on our shared momentum and continuing to drive change, where it’s needed most.
Working alongside you over the past year; in New York at our High-Level side-event, at the Mindful Morning co-hosted with Pinterest, and in the Philippines for our Global Forum, has truly energised us. These moments gave us the chance to celebrate our partnership and highlight lululemon’s leadership, both as a global donor and as a company inspiring change in movement and wellbeing.
at the United Nations General Assembly
Movement and Mental Health
What does #MoveForMentalHealth mean to you?
Staff, partners, global advocates, government ministers, private sector leaders… even Olympic gold medallists and international rugby players – they all made it abundantly clear that:
1. Movement matters: Physical movement – big and small – can support mental wellbeing.
2. We’re all part of a bigger movement happening right now – from personal, physical movement, to the global movement for better mental health for everyone, everywhere.
Our suite of supporting content included short videos and blogs from social impact leaders, including those driving the company’s community impact and wellbeing initiatives at lululemon, A&O Shearman and New Balance, as well as mental health advocates from grassroots organisations and leading sports teams such as the Springboks and Team USA. It even included a blog by Sally Houghton, our Director of Fundraising, about the mental health benefits she experiences from running races with her dog, Pip!
Combined, our Move for Mental Health campaign reached more than 30,000 people across digital channels in October – working with sports organisations, private sector partners and mental health advocates to take the message of movement and mental health to advocates in all corners of the globe.
At our 4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum we hosted a "Movement and Mental Health Interest Space" in the Showcase Hall of the Conference Centre. The space was led by United for Global Mental Health, powered by lululemon, and included resources from the Olympic Refuge Foundation, Waves for Change, Grassroots Soccer and others!
"it would have been hard to imagine this sort of booth at a global mental health forum 10 years ago! Big thanks to GMHAN for welcoming movement, sport and physical activity into the conversation. And thank you to lululemon for supporting the global movement for movement!"
Prof Simon Rosenbaum, UNSW Sydney, Australia
FOR CHANGE
UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health
- a priority health issue
- an integral part of any effective health system
- a unique set of challenges and solutions
Governments adopted a historic Political Declaration recognising mental health as a global priority. Countries committed to integrating mental health into primary and community care, scaling up prevention and promotion, protecting human rights, increasing financing, improving data and accountability, and embedding mental health within national NCD strategies. The meeting’s outcomes reflect years of coordinated advocacy through the Global Mental Health Action Network. We brought together thousands of members of civil society, mental health networks, and lived‑experience champions to unite behind a shared agenda for change.
Our effort led to progressive commitments from governments worldwide and the international community to:
- Prioritise youth mental health
- Reform mental health systems
- Increase efforts to prevent suicides
- Improve the circumstances in which we are born, grow up, work, live and age
Our role:
- Co-led advocacy with UN agencies, experts by experience and more than 100 civil society organisations.
- Worked with over 60 governments across the world to make the case for strong mental health commitments.
- Published multiple reports and briefings.
- Co-organised, with WHO and the Wellcome Trust, the leading mental health side-event to the High-Level Meeting.
Thank you for being there and for helping to make this historic moment happen!
2. A moment in time.
The 4th Global Mental Health Advocacy Forum
- 350 people in-person from 75 countries
- 2,200 registrations online from 130 countries
- Speakers from 40 countries
Overall, the Forum repeatedly returned to a practical conclusion: advocacy must connect the personal and political - using lived experience as system critique, pairing stories with data, and building durable relationships and coalitions capable of sustaining long-term change.
"Our membership with the Network helped to pave our way within the National Mental Health interventions in the country and the African Population Health Research Center in Kenya." Foday Dauda Musa Sesay, Sierra Leone
"I have posted our work on the GMHAN website, resulting in our launch of programs into Malawi, Kenya and many other countries globally. We have started our network of partners across various regions and have already begun bidding on requests for proposals for grants, contracts, and other opportunities with members of GMHAN. We would not have been able to do this without GMHAN." Craig Parks, USA
"I have used GMHAN tools to inform Restore Hope Liberia’s mental health strategy and connect fellow African practitioners to GMHAN opportunities." Roseline Yah Trokpao Chesson, Liberia
- Consulting China’s National Center for Mental Health on their priorities.
- Pushing for a new national mental health strategy in Barbados.
- Negotiating a revision to the national mental health policy of Morocco.
- Shaping the first-ever National Mental Health Strategy in Cyprus.
- Negotiating a national pilot for mental health's inclusion in universal health coverage in Liberia.
- Working to secure the first-ever framework for lived experience involvement in health policy decision-making in Trinidad & Tobago.
- Consulting the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan in building an investment case for mental health.
- Convincing the Permanent Mission of the government of the Philippines to the UN to become a champion for mental health.
Impact case study
Working Groups: Bringing members together to make real change
The Milkar anti-stigma campaign in Pakistan
GMHAN brings its members together to focus on shared challenges and goals through a series of Working Groups. These Working Groups exist to bring together national advocates, people with lived experience, policymakers, and mental health professionals to develop evidence-based strategies, build coordinated campaigns, and push for legislative reform.
One such example is the Stigma and Discrimination Working Group, which brings GMHAN members together to work collaboratively on de-stigmatising mental health around the world.
Participation in the Working Group empowers members to translate global insights to local action. For example, the lessons from GMHAN's Stigma and Discrimination Working Group were instrumental in shaping the Milkar anti-stigma campaign in Pakistan:
The Milkar campaign has gone on to facilitate the development of the first-ever Ethical Principles for Media Reporting on Mental Health in Pakistan, and also has enabled through dialogue policymakers and vital stakeholders to collaborate and create quality standards for mental health professionals. Additionally it has delivered a National Mental Health Baseline Survey, a Midline Survey and an Insights report from Pakistan.
The Milkar campaign continues to shift public attitudes and reduce stigma in Pakistan through data-driven storytelling and community engagement,
aiming to reach 175 million people.
Former Campaign Associate, British Asian Trust
The past year has seen the Global Mental Health Action Network experience its fastest and biggest-ever growth, increasing the number of people we work with and expanding the reach that leaders within the Network can have in their work.
It is undeniable that the support, encouragement and funding by lululemon have made a huge difference in millions of lives around the world.
- We have changed the lives of mental health advocates ...
- We worked directly with 163 advocates
- We grew our community to over 10,000 members in 176 countries
- We had a 70% increase in our membership
- 11 new members were joining us every day!
- ... so they can do what they do best ...GMHAN leaders from around the world:
- Hosted 120 events
- Gave 226 talks or strategic statements to audiences of policy makers, donors, and leaders of national and international organisations
- Had 162 meetings with national government officials
- Convened 4,700 people across 5 webinars
- Co-produced 13 reports, which were viewed by 8,256 people
- Reached 155,000 people on social media with advocacy messaging
- ... to change lives.GMHAN leaders influenced change in 7 national policies, with 2 confirmed
due to affect 1,200,000 people
