Global Mental Health Summit 2025 – Activism, Advocacy, Innovation.

🌟 Recap of #GMHS2025 on 10-12 November in Cape Town by Amornthep Sachamuneewongse (Sati’s Founder & CEO) 🌟

I had the privilege of attending the Global Mental Health Summit 2025 in Cape Town. Over three days, the conversations were filled with activism, advocacy, innovation, lived experience, learning, and above all, hope.

There was powerful dialogue around the decolonization of mental health, the role of peer support and community care as part of primary mental health services, and how our wellbeing is shaped by geopolitics, war, genocide, economic instability, social media, AI, climate change and much more. We must not view mental health only through the lens of public health. It demands a multisector approach, rooted in local context and co-created with people with lived experience as experts.

Despite knowing the scale of the crisis, we still see very little meaningful investment in mental health. Too often, our social issues are funded when it feels “sexy” or trendy, and when the spotlight fades, so does the funding. We need funders and partners who understand the urgency, the long-term societal cost of poor mental health, and who are committed to building a safer, healthier future for our youth.

These conversations leave me with important questions for myself and my Sati team:

How do we build a mental health ecosystem that is truly inclusive? One that reaches those who are rarely seen or heard and addresses the inequalities that keep care inaccessible? How do we ensure that our work is not just impactful in the short term but sustainable, scalable, and rooted in the local context, while still adaptable enough to expand beyond borders? And how do we grow with our values of human connection, dignity, and hope, without losing them to speed, scale, or trends?

I’m grateful to WISH Qatar Qatar Foundation and Mental Health Innovation Network (MHIN) for inviting me to speak on the panel, “Innovation in Action: Bridging Lived Experience and Global Mental Health Solutions,” and for the opportunity to learn from my fellow panellists. Sunoor Verma Petra Gronholm, PhD Olubukola OMOBOWALE

It is always great to see Shapers and YGLs who are super passionate in the field. Global Shapers Community Naeem Dalal M.D Dr Zsófia Szlamka Nataya Branjerdporn Aviwe Funani Matthew Jackman BSW (Hons) GradCert Madstudies MASW Peter Varnum and The Forum of Young Global Leaders Elisha London

Congratulations to Gergana Manolova and Parth Sharma, the next Principal Coordinator and Deputy for MGMH.

Thank you to Godfrey Kagaayi, Charlene Sunkel, Movement for Global Mental Health and aves Mental Health (Global Mental Health Peer Network) for leading and hosting such a meaningful and timely event.