To mark 10 years of the Make Listening Safe (MLS) initiative in 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union will jointly host a consultation onJuly 1-3 in Geneva. More than one billion people were estimated to be at risk of hearing damage due to unsafe recreational listening practices. The initiative aims to foster an ecosystem where people of all ages can enjoy recreational listening without risk to their hearing, the WHO had said, seeking to change listening practices and behaviours.
The meet will bring together stakeholders from across sectors to reflect on the initiative’s progress over the past decade, and define priorities for the next phase of work. Among other things, it looks to contribute to strategies for implementation across personal audio devices, esports and gaming, music, events, schools, and research; build on cross-sectoral partnerships; and identify practical steps to promote safe listening strategies worldwide.