WHO Commission on Social Connection

As the 77th World Health Assembly wraps up, we're celebrating the major strides that have been made using this opportunity to highlight social connection as a global priority for health and well-being 🎉 #PowerOfConnection * * * 1️⃣ We were thrilled that over 80 high-level participants joined the governments of Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Sweden, and the United States of America at a #WHA77 side event on social connection. More details of this in-person event will soon be available, so make sure to keep following us here on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter (linked in the replies to this post). 2️⃣ Members of the WHO Commission on Social Connection and allies across Member States championing social connection gathered to discuss concrete next steps to build on the momentum and further raise the international profile of social connection as a priority for health and well-being. 3️⃣ In his opening remarks to the World Health Assembly, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the importance of the work of the WHO Commission. He noted its crucial role in helping advise the world on how to address social isolation and loneliness – elements of social health that has gone under-recognised (a link to his opening remarks is in the replies to this post). * * * We've also been incredibly moved by the stories of social isolation and loneliness we've received in response to our call for lived experiences to inform the work of the WHO Commission. With over 85 stories received so far, we want to make sure everyone has a chance to be heard. So if you haven't yet, please consider sharing your lived experience with us by today, 31 May 2024 (link in the replies to this post). We're going into the weekend energised by the growing drive and commitment to create a more socially connected world for all. But don't forget – we can all take actions to connect with our friends, families, loved ones, and wider communities in our daily lives. What are your plans? 💚

Almost everyone experiences loneliness or isolation at some point, but there is still so much we need to understand. You can help by sharing your story, the struggles and solutions, with the World Health Organization’s WHO Commission on Social Connection: https://lnkd.in/gfMT9qrQ Image description: Text reads: ‘Call for lived experiences of social isolation and loneliness. Respond to the call at: https://bit.ly/WHO-CSC-LE closing on 31 May 2024 (Friday) .” The tile has a background with a colour gradient from green to magenta, with connected brush stroke rings on the bottom right corner. The World Health Organization and WHO Commission on Social Connection logos are on the top right.

📌 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 77𝒕𝒉 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 The first ever World Health Assembly side event on social connection will take place in Geneva, Switzerland: 🗓️ DATE: 27 May 2024 (Monday) ⏰ TIME: 7:45 – 8:45 CEST ℹ️ In-person breakfast event, by invitation only Co-hosted by the governments of Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Sweden, and the United States of America, this event will highlight social connection as a global priority for health and well-being. Attendance is limited. To express your interest in participation, please email csc@who.int with the subject line 'Expression of Interest – WHA77 side event' and your details by 24 May 2024 (Friday). #PowerOfConnection

𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 🔔 : Our call for lived experiences of social isolation and loneliness closes next Friday, 31 May 2024. 👉 You can share or respond to the call at: https://lnkd.in/gk7VNrGW We encourage submissions from low- and middle-income countries – and especially from people with disabilities, migrants, LGBTQI+ individuals, populations in remote settings, indigenous peoples, and those affected by humanitarian crises. For more information on the call, expand the post below ⬇️

📌 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 77𝒕𝒉 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 The first ever World Health Assembly side event on social connection will take place in Geneva, Switzerland: 🗓️ DATE: 27 May 2024 (Monday) ⏰ TIME: 7:45 – 8:45 CEST ℹ️ In-person breakfast event, by invitation only Co-hosted by the governments of Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Sweden, and the United States of America, this event will highlight social connection as a global priority for health and well-being. Attendance is limited. To express your interest in participation, please email csc@who.int with the subject line 'Expression of Interest – WHA77 side event' and your details by 24 May 2024 (Friday). #PowerOfConnection

Happy Wednesday! Have you been socially connecting with your friends, family, loved ones, or wider community? Get recharged for the rest of the week by staying connected with the WHO Commission on Social Connection – check out our most recent News Round-up! 📰 🔗 Access the issue at: https://lnkd.in/euDgZQ8F ✍️ Not subscribed yet? Join us on our journey here: http://eepurl.com/iDBgrg

📢 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝! 📢 Long story short: our call for lived experiences of social isolation and loneliness to inform the WHO Commission's flagship report is open until 31 May 2024 (Friday). #PowerOfConnection 🔗 Share the call or contribute your voice here: https://lnkd.in/gk7VNrGW * * * The WHO Commission on Social Connection is committed to include lived experiences of social isolation and loneliness in its work. This commitment extends to the WHO Commission’s flagship report, which is currently under development. To support these efforts, the WHO Commission has announced an open call for lived experiences on social isolation and loneliness. We invite individuals from around the world to share their stories, perspectives, and experiences of the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness, and the transformative power of social connection. From the responses we receive, we will: ✅ Collaborate with around 5 individuals to document their lived experiences and amplify their stories, as a continuation of our 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 of short films (https://lnkd.in/gWDYKJd5) and in support of the WHO Commission’s report; and ✅ Identify individuals who are willing to participate in a ‘𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥’ to review the report and its recommendations before publication. We particularly encourage submissions from people with disabilities, migrants, LGBTQI+ individuals, populations in remote settings, indigenous peoples, and those affected by humanitarian crises – across all age groups. The call for lived experiences will close on 31 May 2024 (Friday). Please support the WHO Commission on Social Connection’s work by responding to the call or sharing it on to your networks!

Happy Monday! How have you been socially connecting with your friends, family, loved ones, or wider community? ✨ Start off your week by checking out the WHO Commission on Social Connection's most recent News Round-up – featuring details on the newly announced WHO Technical Advisory Group on Social Connection, and snapshots on work being done by Commissioners to advocate for the issue around the world. 🔗 Link: https://lnkd.in/e97pWacd ✍️ Subscribe to the Commission's newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iDBgrg

📢 The World Health Organization's Social Connection Series of short films is now on its official YouTube channel! 📺 * * * Last year, we released the Social Connection Series: a living collection of short films that retells lived experiences of both the negative impacts of loneliness and the transformative power of social connection. From Costa Rica to India, people from around the world shared their moving stories of social (dis)connection with the global community to remind us that anyone, anywhere can experience #loneliness and the serious harms they bring for health and well-being. 👉 We're happy to share that the films are now available on WHO's official YouTube channel here: https://lnkd.in/gbQCp_rK You can also access the films and other resources on the Commission's website: https://bit.ly/WHO-CSC 🌍 Help us spread the word – it's time to prioritise action on social isolation and loneliness as global public health issues!

💡 Are you subscribed to the WHO Commission on Social Connection's newsletter yet? We just sent out our first email update to subscribers to mark the start of the festive season and the coming new year: https://lnkd.in/d5PMhFM2 As much as this time of year is a moment of joy for many, for others it’s also a challenging time marked by profound social isolation and loneliness. This festive season, don't forget about the #PowerOfConnection! A simple act of kindness or a thoughtful gesture towards those around you can go a long way in making the world a more socially connected place.