The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, participated in an event on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, dedicated to mental health.

In her speech, the President's wife shared her experience in creating an All-Ukrainian mental health program, launched in response to the stress and challenges that Ukrainians are experiencing due to Russian aggression.

According to the First Lady, the goal of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program is to bring psychological help as close as possible to people. Within its framework, more than 120,000 Ukrainian family doctors have already completed WHO courses, and more than 300 resilience centers are also operating. "Happiness Lessons" have been introduced in schools, where children are taught to understand emotions and provided with the necessary support.

"We conducted an information campaign that convinced society: worrying about mental health is not shameful, but responsible and right. The result: if in 2022 46% of Ukrainians told us in surveys that they would never consult a psychologist, now the number of such people has decreased to 22%," noted Olena Zelenska.

The First Lady emphasized that mental health is a global challenge that concerns people just as much as poverty, climate change, or rising prices.

"At the 77th World Health Assembly, together with the Netherlands, we initiated a resolution that establishes mental health as a key priority before, during and after emergencies. This is also from our experience. We want our trials to contribute to global resilience and, as a result, strengthen us all," the President's wife noted.

Addressing the international community, the first lady called for making mental health a priority.

"Make it a part of life and daily care. Because it is not a luxury. It is a condition of survival and future for every nation. We know for sure," Olena Zelenska concluded.