Raising Our Voices for Mental Health at the multi-stakeholder hearing ahead of the UN HLM on NCDs and Mental Health - Yana’s spotlight.
As the world prepares for the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs and mental health, members of the Global Mental Health Action Network are stepping up to ensure mental health is treated as a core pillar of global health and development.
They bring lived experience, expertise, and a deep understanding of the impact of mental health conditions and NCDs in their communities. We are honoured to introduce these inspiring changemakers and the vital work they lead.
Yana Panfilova - Founder Union of adolescents & youth Teenergizer
What I Do & Why It Matters
I was born with HIV and ADHD in Ukraine and turned my story into a movement. As the founder of Teenergizer - a youth-led organisation active across Europe and Central Asia - I have dedicated my life to standing up for young people and for those living with HIV. I hold a degree in social work, and since publicly disclosing my status at age 13, I have become a tireless advocate for transforming vulnerability into power.
In 2021, I had the honour of speaking on behalf of 38 million people living with HIV at the UN High-Level Meeting on AIDS, where my work was recognised by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Today, Teenergizer reaches over 6 million young people annually online and provides mental health support to adolescents and youth in need through 400 peer counselors. Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, we have delivered more than
129 000 psychological counselling sessions - offering adolescents and young people a safe space to connect, grow and heal.
Teenergizer also a member of the national mental health program “How are you?” initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Furthermore, my work has been recognised by Forbes “30 Under 30” and the KyivPost’s “Ukraine Under 30”, but what matters most to me is the impact we are making - every feedback from a young person who says, “Thank you for helping me stay alive,” is why I keep going.
Hoped-For Actions From the Hearing
I hope this hearing delivers more than just words - that it results in concrete, bold commitments to expanding youth-driven, community-led mental health services, especially in regions marked by war, stigma and inequality. Mental health is not a privilege - it is a fundamental human right. It must be embedded into every NCD strategy at national, regional and global levels.
We need meaningful investment in services that are accessible, youth-friendly and grounded in lived experience. And we need to move beyond token representation: young people must have real power in shaping the policies that affect our lives. Inclusion must become institutionalised. With clear goals, financing and accountability mechanisms, this hearing can become a turning point - not just a moment, but a movement.
Why prioritising mental health at the 2025 UN HLM is essential
There is no health without mental health. This truth has been overlooked for far too long. For adolescents and young people in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe and Central Asia — who are growing up amidst war, trauma, inequality and silence - prioritising mental health would send a clear and powerful message: your struggles are seen, your healing matters and your future is worth investing in.
If world leaders unite around this issue, it will not just be a policy shift - it will be an act of global solidarity. It will affirm that the mental well-being of young people is not an afterthought, but a cornerstone of public health and human rights. For our generation, mental health is not optional - it is essential to hope, to agency and to the possibility of peace.
