The South-East Europe (SEE) region faces significant challenges related to mental health and equity in education, posing critical barriers to achieving the 2030 Agenda. High rates of mental health disorders and persistent disparities in education access and outcomes hinder efforts to build inclusive and equitable societies. Addressing SDG 3.4 in line with SDGs 4.1 and 4.5 offers a strategic opportunity to overcome systemic barriers while fostering inclusion, equity and resilience in education systems.
Disparities in education access, insufficient mental health resources, and exclusive practices contribute to widen inequities, particularly among marginalized groups.
Schools play a vital role in promoting learners’ well-being. However, challenges persist in embedding social-emotional learning (SEL) curricula in the education system despite its potential to provide mental health services and effectively implement inclusive policies. These gaps limit efforts to foster resilience, reduce anxiety, and ensure equitable opportunities for academic and personal growth of learners.
Despite the clear importance of improving the integration of well-being and inclusiveness in education systems, there remains a notable gap in data and agreed indicators in this area. For SDG 3.4, available data from sources such as WHO, the World Bank, and the UNECE data portal is limited to the SDG indicators 3.4.1 and 3.4.2. While these indicators provide valuable insights, they do not comprehensively capture the broader dimensions of well-being and mental health, especially in the education context. Consequently, this contribution relies on inferred data derived from national policies, strategies and plans of 14 SEE countries.8
8 Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, and Türkiye.
Recent data reveals critical insights:
One in seven young people experiences mental health challenges, with anxiety and depression being the most common. However, access to mental health resources remains uneven, particularly in rural areas.9
9 WHO, Mental health of adolescents, 10/10/2024
Schools face significant gaps in implementing comprehensive well-being programs.
Gender and socio-economic disparities persist in access to mental health education and services. Girls and students from disadvantaged backgrounds report higher levels of anxiety and stress,10 highlighting systemic inequalities.
10 World Economic Forum, Health equity for women and girls: Here's how to get there, 6/3/2023
These trends underscore the urgent need for targeted strategies to effectively promote mental health in education systems.
Education systems in the region are adopting diverse strategies to promote equity and inclusion, integrating these principles with well-being policies to strengthen student resilience and improve learning outcomes. Examples from Slovenia, Malta and Croatia demonstrate how fostering well-being in equitable and inclusive frameworks creates supportive environments that ensure fair access to education and well-being services in schools.
Slovenia: The 1996 Act (ZOFVI) established inclusion and quality education as core principles, further reinforced by the National Programme for Children 2020–2025.
Malta: The National Education Strategy 2024-2030 strategically positions well-being, growth and empowerment, along with equity and inclusion, as complementary pillars.
Croatia: A holistic approach is embedded in the National Plan for the Development of the Education System until 2027 and the National Youth Programme 2023-2025, which respectively emphasize equity, inclusion and youth well-being.11
11 Although no policy explicitly links well-being with equity and inclusion, initiatives like the ‘School of Support in Croatia’ supports this holistic approach, aiming to promote resilience, inclusion, and mental health to help students cope with crises such as COVID-19 school closures.
Several countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Malta, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Romania, have recognized the urgent need to address mental health through updated laws, policies and national strategies. Croatia, Malta, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia have National Plans or initiatives for mental health education in schools. This reflects a growing awareness of mental health as a priority policy.
While 14 countries in the SEE region have established dedicated mental health policies and strategies, less than half explicitly promote mental health initiatives in schools or integrate them into school curricula. Malta, Slovenia and Croatia stand out for their proactive approaches:
Malta: The National Education Strategy 2024-2030 places well-being at its core, implementing 14 measures and 43 initiatives to enhance the well-being of both educators and learners.
Slovenia: Mental well-being is integrated into school curricula across all levels, reflecting a commitment to comprehensive mental health education.
Croatia: The Strategic Framework for the Development of Mental Health until 2030 Objective 3 emphasizes the preservation and improvement of mental health in schools and academia.
Well-being and education are mutually reinforcing, generating a powerful multiplier effect. SDG 17 emphasizes the importance of collaboration and partnerships, uniting key stakeholders including UNESCO, WHO and regional actors to scale up interventions and ensure that no one is left behind.
Strategic partnerships demonstrate the value of collaborative action, with UNESCO advancing innovation and sharing best practices, and WHO providing leadership in mental health advocacy and implementation. The UNECE region holds significant potential to become a leading example of how cross-sectoral partnerships can effectively promote well-being and build resilience through strategic partnerships.
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations, Geneva
