10 years of Making Listening Safe from Around the world: A collection of Abstracts

Overview

Over the past decade, the Make Listening Safe initiative has brought together governments, researchers, educators, health professionals, industry partners, and civil society to reduce the risk of preventable hearing loss from unsafe listening.

To mark 10 years of progress, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), presents Making Listening Safe Across the World: A Collection of Abstracts. The publication brings together global examples of research, policy, education, and practice that demonstrate how safe listening principles are being implemented across diverse settings.

About the abstracts collection

The collection includes abstracts submitted in advance of the WHO–ITU Consultation on the Make Listening Safe Initiative, held in July 2025 at ITU headquarters in Geneva.

The abstracts reflect a wide range of approaches to safe listening, including work in schools, communities, live venues, digital environments, occupational settings, and health systems. Together, they illustrate how global guidance can be adapted to local contexts and inform future action.

Key themes reflected in the abstracts

Across regions and sectors, the abstracts highlight:

• Practical implementation of safe listening standards
• Education and behaviour change, particularly among children and young people
• Integration of safe listening into policy, regulation, and advocacy
• Community-led and inclusive approaches, including low-resource settings
• Innovation through digital tools, creative media, and cross-sector collaboration
  

Demonstrations presented at the WHO–ITU Consultation (July 2025)

During the WHO–ITU Consultation on the Make Listening Safe Initiative, six selected initiatives were demonstrated at ITU headquarters to illustrate how safe listening principles are being applied in practice.

These demonstrations provided concrete examples of:

• Translation of global standards into real-world tools or programmes
• Innovation in communication, technology, or service delivery
• Engagement of priority populations, including youth and workers
• Scalability and relevance across different contexts

The demonstrated initiatives are included in the abstracts collection and serve as reference points for future implementation and collaboration.