Zurich has announced a three-year global partnership with United Nations children’s agency UNICEF to promote mental well-being among young people.

The insurer’s Z Zurich Foundation will work with the UN agency to equip 400,000 adolescents and 150,000 caregivers in seven countries including Vietnam and Indonesia with information and skills to manage their mental health and those around them.

The partnership was announced last week at the Leaders on Purpose CEO Summit during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“We are launching a global movement that envisions a world where every young person is supported to achieve positive mental well-being,” Z Zurich Foundation Chairman Gary Shaughnessy said.

“This is an increasing and vital challenge. Working together we can turn the tide and help many young people realise their potential.”

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Partnerships Charlotte Petri Gornitzka says the pandemic has only added to the pressures on young people and their families, putting the mental health of a whole generation at risk.

“With this partnership, we are kick-starting an urgent response to a crisis that the world cannot afford to leave overlooked and underfunded,” she said.