Promoting high-quality research to improve global mental health and well-being

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies mental health, a foundation of health and well-being, as a basic human right (WHO, 2022). Global increases in mental illness, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (Santomauro et al., 2021), are, therefore, concerning. To address these increases, the United Nations (UN) and WHO have developed global sustainable development goals and targets to be achieved by 2030 (UN, 2022; WHO, 2023). These goals and targets include improvements in the governance and availability of mental health services, the promotion of mental health and well-being, and reductions in suicide rates. However, substantial progress in achieving these goals and targets cannot occur without high-quality research to frame and inform evidence-based policy and practices (Cleary et al., 2019).