Hanoi (VNA) - The Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) joined forces to launch #ReachOut, a campaign designed to raiseawareness of the symptoms of mental health conditions, encourage people to seekhelp when they need it, and help eradicate any associated stigmas.
“Mentalhealth and well-being are just as important as physical health and safety.Under the Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam, ASEAN is taking steps to advancecooperation with external partners on mental health, in order to provide theASEAN Community with the necessary and appropriate mental health andpsychosocial support services,” Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi said in a statement.
According to Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi, improvingmental health has always been one of the strategic priorities of the ASEANhealth sector. Strengthening mental health services also contributes to ASEAN'sresponse to the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies throughthe implementation of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.
In launching the campaign, FIFA President Gianni Infantinosaid the campaign is very important in raising awareness about mental healthconditions and encouraging a conversation which could save a life. "In FIFA’sVision 2020-2023, we pledge our commitment to make football work for society,and I thank the players who have contributed to this important initiative.Having a conversation with family, friends or a healthcare professional can bekey,” he said.
In the framework of the campaign, videos features 14 past and present footballers will beshared on FIFA digital channels, with multimedia toolkits to facilitatedissemination and use within Southeast Asia and beyond. This campaign is anactivity under the ASEAN-FIFA memorandum of understanding signed in November2019 on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand./.
