Drug trafficking in the Pacific is rapidly expanding, shifting countries from transit points to consumer and production markets. However, many national laws remain outdated, as they were designed for earlier challenges like cannabis and are not equipped to address synthetic drugs and cocaine.

Governments are under pressure to respond, leading in some cases to tougher punitive proposals, but legislative reform alone is not keeping pace with the evolving threat. Fiji’s recent approach shows a more integrated model, combining law enforcement, public health, and community engagement through broad...

The 2025 Global Organized Crime Index shows that overall crime levels in Europe remain stable, and the region continues to rank among the least affected globally. However, this stability hides a more complex reality, with criminal markets and actors evolving and expanding.

Financial crime is the most widespread threat, driven by online fraud and cross-border schemes, while cybercrime continues to grow, often linked to state-backed or hybrid actors. Drug markets are also shifting, with cocaine and synthetic drugs increasing, while trafficking and smuggling networks remain deeply entrenched.

A...

Short Summary

Scam centres are a fast-growing global organized crime threat, generating over $1 trillion in losses in 2024. They use technology and psychological manipulation to target victims worldwide, supported by global criminal networks and easy-to-access tools.

Despite enforcement efforts, scams are expanding and adapting, often moving to low-governance environments and exploiting geopolitical gaps.

Key Actions

• Increase international coordination and intelligence sharing

• Pressure safe havens and strengthen regulation of tech and financial platforms

• Cooperate across...

Secondhand smoke (SHS) continues to be a major global health risk, contributing to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, and respiratory illnesses. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study across 204 countries, this analysis examined the burden of SHS exposure through Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) across different socio-demographic regions. The findings show notable sex and regional disparities: ischemic heart disease caused a higher burden among males, while diabetes and stroke affected females more. COPD had the highest burden in lower-middle SDI regions...

Youth mental health is a growing global crisis, with most mental health conditions beginning before the age of 25. Young people today face increasing stress from poverty, academic and social pressure, bullying (including online), climate anxiety, and uncertainty about the future, while mental health services struggle to keep up with demand. Although governments play a critical role, philanthropic investment can help strengthen the social determinants of youth mental health and support prevention at scale. Despite growing global attention, including commitments through the UN Sustainable...

Smokeless tobacco use is very common in South Asia, but there is limited evidence on effective ways to help users quit. This randomized study evaluated a face-to-face behavioural support program (BISCA) compared with self-help materials among adult smokeless tobacco users attending a dental hospital. One hundred participants who were motivated to quit were included. The BISCA group showed better outcomes for most tobacco withdrawal symptoms and slightly higher quit rates than the self-help group, though the difference was not statistically significant. Given the high prevalence of smokeless...

Opioid use during pregnancy and the postpartum period is increasing in the United States, yet many pregnant and parenting people face serious barriers to accessing effective treatment and supportive services. These barriers arise from fragmented systems such as healthcare, health insurance, child welfare, childcare, and the criminal justice system. This study uses in-depth interviews with healthcare providers, treatment leaders, local government officials, and pregnant and parenting people in a mid-Atlantic state to explore access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), key treatment...

Nivishe Foundation successfully launched “Understanding Emotions,” the first chapter in its groundbreaking Brainwaves Comic Book Series, one of Africa’s first comic books dedicated to mental health education.

The series uses relatable storytelling and vibrant illustrations to help young people understand emotions, break mental health stigma, and build resilience. It transforms complex psychological concepts into simple, accessible lessons that speak directly to the realities of adolescents and youth in Kenya’s informal settlements.

Since its launch in Nairobi, the comic has reached over 2...

The United Nations Youth Office launched the flagship initiative on Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing! The initiative promotes an ecosystem model for youth mental health and wellbeing, using a whole-of-society approach.

The initiative was launched at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha. The launch video is available here

This flagship initiative by the UN Youth office reframes the conversation to a broader vision grounded in care, connection and community. This effort bridges policy leadership with youth-led movements across the world centering young people as equal...

The Mental Health or Nurses and Doctors (MeND) survey, conducted by WHO Regional Office for Europe under a contribution agreement with the European Commission, aimed to explore the mental health, well-being and working conditions of doctors and nurses in the 27 European Union countries plus Iceland and Norway.

The survey was disseminated from October 2024 to April 2025 across all 29 countries, obtaining 122 048 responses, of which 90 171 were valid. The findings indicated a high prevalence of mental health conditions and unsafe working conditions – including violence, extended working hours...

The ESPAD report presents the results of the eighth data-collection wave, which took place in 2024, and marks an impressive 30 years of data collection by this long-standing collaboration. More than 113 000 15- to 16-year-old students from 37 countries, including 25 EU Member States, took part. Since 1995, over 800 000 students have contributed, making ESPAD the most extensive harmonised data collection on substance use and risk behaviours in Europe, and the largest cross- national research project on adolescent substance use worldwide.