Our ‘New Normal’ Requires Human Contact, UN chief Tells Youth

(United Nations News) How to adapt and move forward in the new reality of a COVID-19 world was the focus of a UN webinar on Wednesday, which considered how young people can maintain good mental health and a sense of wellbeing.

“Whether we are living in countries currently locked down or slowly opening up again, we all are facing a reality different from what we have ever known”, said UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake, moderator of the public series that is jointly sponsored by her office along with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Coping with COVID” offered young people a platform to connect amidst uncertainty, generate mental health awareness among youth worldwide, and strengthen demand for integrated mental health and psychosocial interventions.

Not normal

Secretary-General António Guterres said the pandemic has highlighted the fragility of our societies and the need to build back better.

Asked about what the so-called “new normal” means to him, the UN chief refused to characterise our collective state today in those terms, calling it instead “abnormal”.

Read more at: United Nations News