One in eight people have mental health problems, starting with anxiety and depression. This was indicated by Emma Ursich, director of The Human Safety Net, who presented the report “Uncertain times, unsettled lives: shaping our future in a transforming world” at the headquarters of the association headed by Generali, at the Procuratie Vecchie in Venice.
“GDP is not just productivity, but also other factors such as education, social inclusion and mental health. For the first time in the past two years there has been a decline in well-being from this mental health point of view, with 9 out of 10 countries experiencing a decline in the human development index, ”said Ursich. “It has been happening for 33 years, what has been recorded is that people feel more and more alone, in an uncertain world, 1 in 8 has had mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression and so on. Against this, only 10% had access to support for those difficulties. There are one billion and three hundred million people living in poverty, half of whom are children, there is a lot to do, ”she continued.
The emphasis is therefore placed on the future: “The message is that there are numbers, but there is also a lot to do to reach the sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda, there has been a retreat and we have focused on the pandemic ». Other data pitted by Ursich concern investments: «The cost of Covid is seven trillion lost productivity, 17 trillion fiscal response for the emergency, when 15 billion would have been needed if prevention had been done. Think then of technology, if used well, artificial intelligence could multiply world GDP by ten with new job opportunities ».
In his speech, Andrea Sironi, President of Assicurazioni Generali, said: “We are proud to host the European event for the presentation of the Human Development Report right here in Venice: we are in the home of The Human Safety Net, the foundation of the Group. Generali which supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to promote human potential in the most vulnerable contexts and sustainable development. For the first time in 32 years, the Human Development Index is falling and Generali is ready to do its part to help reverse this trend, offering innovative services capable of mitigating the growing uncertainty ».