September 24, 2026, New York: During the 81st UNGA Summit, brain health has undergone a major strategic shift: moving out of the clinical sphere and into high-level global economics, state capacity, and sustainable development policy.
Led by high-level side forums—most notably Brain Days at the UNGA Science Summit convened by the European Brain Council and the Global Brain Coalition and the Global Brain Economy Summit – policymakers, neuroscientists, economists, and business leaders are framing brain health as a core national security and economic asset.
The European Brain Council observes, as populations age, demographic and workforce pressures intensify, and societies navigate rapid technological and social transformation, the imperative to advance brain health across the life course has never been clearer. Increasingly, brain health is being recognised not only as a health and research issue, but as a societal, economic and development priority central to human capital and sustainable development.
“The inaugural 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 is just behind us, and 𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝟲𝟰 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 with whom we spent a day reflecting on the centrality of the brain in the 21st century. The Brain Economy concept is crafted for our times – when opportunity and disruption are in close embrace, and when we must ensure that our cognitive flourishing ultimately gains the upper hand.”
– Paweł Świeboda, Co-Founder NeuroCentury
Concurrently on September 23, 2026, at NYU Silver School of Social Work, Dr. Felipe Paullier and the UN Youth Office launched the flagship initiative and report, “Youth Mental Health & Well-Being in an Uncertain World: A Global Call to Action,” advocating a structural shift from treating mental health solely as an individual medical issue to addressing the social and physical environments where young people live.
The brain capital and economy themes are linked to many SDGs, including: SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure; SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities; SDG 13: Climate Action, etc.
Ref:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7508911543888080896
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