A call to action: the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing

Adolescents are the future leaders of our world. Ensuring their health and wellbeing now and in the future is one of the strongest mechanisms available to safeguard the collective future of humanity and to secure a more just society and a healthier and more productive planet. Investments in the current generation of 10–24-year-olds will reap a triple dividend, with benefits for young people today, the adults they will become, and the next generation of children they will parent. These potential benefits are particularly relevant for Africa and Asia, where around 82% of the world’s adolescents currently live , a proportion that is projected to rise to 85% by 2100.