Bold Ideas for
Brighter Futures 2026
2nd Global Conference: Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Connecting research to action
Cape Town, South Africa // May 18-20, 2026
We are pleased to be hosting BIBF 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa
The 2nd Global Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, in May 2026, convening over 300 leading experts and stakeholders from around the world. This scientific conference will serve as a dynamic platform to share bold ideas, cutting-edge research, and practical innovations aimed at improving the mental health of children and adolescents—especially in low- and middle-income countries. Participants will include researchers, mental health practitioners, policymakers, youth advocates, civil society leaders, the private sector, and international organizations, all working together to shape global responses to child and adolescent mental health challenges.
Building on the success of BIBF 2024 in Stockholm, this year’s conference will:
- Share cutting-edge global research and practice for child and adolescent mental health globally
- Highlight effective multisectoral collaboration across health, education and social development sectors
- Explore responsible approaches to data and monitoring
- Elevate youth voices through active participation as organisers, speakers and facilitators, ensuring their perspectives and lived experiences inform and enrich the conference.
Key themes
Mental health has been prioritized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with targets to promote mental health and reduce suicide mortality. However, despite a renewed sense of urgency to act on child and adolescent mental health, global action has been slow in developing affordable and quality mental health services. Barriers include a lack of empirical data on how best to support children and adolescents, and lack of funding and human resources to respond to their specific needs. For children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), these gaps are even more pronounced.
This year, our key conference themes will include a focus on school- and community-based approaches to mental health promotion, scale-up of evidence-based approaches and services; mental health in the context of humanitarian crises; generating responsible data for children and adolescents; and meaningful youth engagement in research and programming.
ⓒ UNICEF/UN048236/Kiron ⓒ UNICEF/UNI767609/Benekire ⓒ UNICEF/UNI756794/Nakibuuka
Abstract submission
Abstracts are due 30 September! Click here for key information about submitting an abstract
Conference program
Learn more about this year's themes and how to get involved as a sponsor or donor
Practical information
Key information about the conference venue, transportation, and accommodation
Our sponsors
