Professor Peter Azzopardi, commission member and leader of the Global Adolescent Health Group at Australia’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, said: “By 2030, we project that half of the world’s adolescents will be living in settings where they experience multi-burden profiles of disease.”

What challenges are young people facing?

“Climate change affects us all, but it particularly affects young people. Climate anxiety, but also the direct impacts of climate displacement, places young people at a unique risk,” he said.

The report also warns of the mental and physical toll of conflict and displacement, with millions of young people growing up or fleeing from war zones, with at least four active war zones in the world currently.

In consultations, young people themselves called for better mental health literacy and an end to stigma.

A call for urgent investment

“The time to act is now.”

“We’ve failed to really engage with young people meaningfully,” Azzopardi said.

Six key recommendations

— Prioritising youth voices in policy making and advocacy

— Establishing clear global goals to measure and track adolescent health and well-being

— Scaling up access to sexual and reproductive health services and protections against gender-based violence

— Strengthening actions within health and education sectors while reinforcing collaborations

— Limiting the exposure of advertising targeting adolescents