Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 2: Addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies (33IC/19/R2) – Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs

¿ Ha incorporado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en los planes estratégicos u operativos pertinentes?

Los compromisos han sido incorporados en
estrategia
política
plan operativo

A internacional, regional, nacional nivel

Explicación:

Since 2019, The Netherlands Government included Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in its new Policy Note on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Doen waar Nederland goed in is. Strategie voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, June 2022). It has embedded MHPSS in its humanitarian strategy and diplomacy, as reported to Parliament in both the Annual letters on Humanitarian Aid and Diplomacy foreseen for the coming year, as well as in the Annual Reports on efforts and results over the past year and in the results reporting. It has included MHPSS in its humanitarian results framework Theory of Change for building and sustaining peace and the results framework linked to that ToC. MHPSS also is addressed in its popularized annual reporting on results.

The need to integrate quality, accessible MHPSS was included in a score of Netherlands programs, policies and calls for proposals. Thus for example, MHPSS is integrated in the humanitarian partnerships with the Dutch Relief Alliance and the Netherlands Red Cross, in the strategic priorities of the PROSPECTS Partnership set up by the Netherlands with IFC, UNICEF, UNHCR, ILO and the Worldbank in eight countries hosting refugees and in the COMPASS partnership with IOM (Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Solutions).

Furthermore, the Netherlands structurally included MHPSS in its policy dialogue with humanitarian and other crisis response partners – who are mostly funded in a multiannual, flexible and unearmarked way. It also raised the need to integrate MHPSS in crisis response (acute humanitarian efforts as well as humanitarian response in protracted crises; work for and with displaced people, refugees and host communities; conflict prevention and resolution, building and sustaining peace) in Board meetings, Steering committees, donor advisory group meetings and other multilateral meetings and negotiations.

Since 2019, the Netherlands undertook steady diplomatic efforts at global level to create space for implementing organisations to include MHPSS in their programming and budgeting. It aimed to ensure that mental health and psychosocial wellbeing are explicitly recognized as enablers for people and communities to cope with crises and adversities, to recover from emergencies and to see and grasp opportunities to rebuild their lives and to relate positively to their neighbours and surroundings. Explicit inclusion of the potential of MHPSS as integral element of crisis response in guiding global strategies, resolutions and funding decisions, enables implementing organisations to demand MHPSS-inclusive mandates and budgets.

Thus, among others, the Netherlands has helped to ensure that MHPSS is included in global UN resolutions on the coordination of humanitarian aid and in the UN SG 2020 Report on building and sustaining peace. As EU Member State, the Netherlands has helped to ensure that MHPSS was explicitly included in the renewed 2021 European Commission Communication on the EU’s humanitarian action. The Netherlands also actively supported the formulation and adoption of the 2022 UNHCR ExCom Conclusion 116 on MHPSS. Together with Germany and the European Commission and in consultation with UNHCR, a pledge was prepared for the Global Refugee Forum on the integration of MHPSS in work with and for displaced populations and host communities, which was joined by 16 other countries and organisations, each of which made tangible, specific commitments on how to contribute to actual implementation of the pledge.

And most recently, the Netherlands and Ukraine initiated the World Health Assembly Resolution A77/A/CONF./11 (https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA77/A77_ACONF11-en.pdf) on Strengthening mental health and psychosocial support before, during and after armed conflicts, natural and human-caused disasters, and health and other emergencies, which was adopted on May 29th 2024.

Through the efforts described above, the Netherlands aimed to operationalize and help operationalize the core elements of the Amsterdam Declaration (ref pledge nr 4) and the Recommendations of the Mind the Mind now Conference on MHPSS in crisis settings (https://www.government.nl/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs/activiteiten/mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-in-crisis-situations) (ref resolution and pledge nr 3). Instead of increasing the number of countries and governments subscribing to the specific Amsterdam Declaration, it was decided to focus efforts on getting MHPSS structurally included in the relevant global resolutions and documents, as described above, as this would help to anchor MHPSS in a more generalized way in the core documents guiding international humanitarian action.

As previous host of a Global Mental Health Summit (GMHS) – Mind the Mind now, October 2019 – the Netherlands strived to ensure that next Summits did include program elements on MHPSS in crisis settings, did include sessions to account for progress since earlier Summits. Thus, at the Fifth GMHS in Buenos Aires, a report (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CMey4NBN161bvpr79lsLj9kjfahj6Nr1/view) was launched on progress since earlier Summits, including on work done and results achieved internationally on MHPSS in crisis settings since 2019.

Ha trabajado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución con otros asociados para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

En asociación con:
Sociedad Nacional de la Cruz Roja o de la Media Luna Roja de su país
gobierno y/o autoridades públicas
CICR/Federación Internacional
otras Sociedades Nacionales de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja
asociados en los ámbitos humanitario y de desarrollo (por ejemplo, Naciones Unidas, organizaciones no gubernamentales)
mundo académico
otros asociados

Ejemplos de cooperación:

The Netherlands has undertaken multiple efforts to advocate globally and regionally for MHPSS-inclusive planning and budgeting to enable implementing organisations at regional, national and local level to work on the core elements enclosed in this, and other relevant Resolutions and in the Pledge nr 3.

This has been done in cooperation with the Netherlands Red Cross, ICRC, IFRC, the IFRC Psychosocial Centre, the IASC MHPSS Reference Group, MHPSS.net, WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM, INGOs such as WarChild, Save the Children, ARQ International, InterPeace, Impunity Watch and many others. Furthermore, the Netherlands has cooperated on this with many countries.

At multiple occasions, joint efforts were undertaken to bring together practitioners, persons with lived experience, organisations involved in crisis response and policymakers to promote mutual learning, and understanding if the need for and potential of MHPSS.

Thus, for example, the Netherlands together with Germany and DG ECHO of the European Commission, have organised series of webinars on the operationalisation of MHPSS, including the core elements of the RCRC- and relevant UN-resolutions. These webinars strived to inform diplomats and decision makers in the MENA-region and the LAC region on the possibilities to enhance MHPSS-inclusive ways of working, and to provide a platform for discussion between practitioners, persons with lived experience and diplomatic staff that make or prepare decisions on strategies and programs to be funded.

Another example is how, with ICRC, IFRC, a few National Societies and other experts, the Netherlands co-organised a workshop on MHPSS in emergency preparedness and response at the fifth Global Mental Health Summit in Buenos Aires which focused on mental health across all sectors.

As described earlier, the Netherlands expects its humanitarian and crisis response partners to use its multiannual, flexible and unearmarked funding to be used for work in which MHPSS is integrated, as according to their mandate and international agreements and commitments.

To enable humanitarian actors to do this, the Netherlands supports two programs facilitating implementation of an MHPSS-inclusive response, including the core elements of the Resolution and PFA-pledge: The MHPSS Minimum Services Package (https://mhpssmsp.org/en) is a tool for all who wish to integrate MHPSS in their programming and budgeting and helps to ensure quality, evidence-based services. The MHPSS Surge Mechanism (https://english.rvo.nl/subsidies-financing/mhpss) seconds MHPSS experts to cooperating humanitarian agencies to support coordination and integration of MHPSS in humanitarian responses across all clusters.

Finally, through it’s Embassies, the Netherlands supports country-specific interventions that include MHPSS.

¿Ha habido dificultades para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

Dificultades en relación con:
recursos humanos
limitaciones de financiación
conflicto de prioridades
falta de conocimientos o de pericia específica
falta de capacidad y/o de apoyo (técnico, financiero o de otra índole)

Describa detalladamente estas dificultades:

A core challenge is that with increasing acknowledgement of mental and psychosocial needs, with these needs being increasingly voiced, and with the increasing numbers of crises, the need for capacity to address these needs has grown enormously. During COVID, the development and use of innovative approaches, including self-help methods and e-care, took a flight, but quality services require – among many other elements – adequate accompaniment and oversight, possibilities for referral and robust mechanisms for psychosocial duty of care of humanitarian and medical first responders, staff and volunteers themselves as well. All of this requires a wide range of properly trained and equipped staff and volunteers.

Ensuring integration of quality MHPSS also requires dedicated office staff and MHPSS focal points at headquarters, regional offices and/or in-country offices of organisations involved.

The work of the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and the IASC MHPSS Reference Group, providing tools, guidelines, training, operational advice and support to National Societies and other organisations that work to integrate MHPSS into their response, has been of huge importance in helping to address the need for adapted and adaptable materials and training and amplifying capacities and expertise and increasing the capability at a global level to provide access to quality MHPSS to (and by) people affected by emergencies.

More capacity is needed, but an incredible amount of work is done.

¿Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en el trabajo y la dirección del Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución?

Tipo de repercusión:
fortalecimiento de la cooperación entre el gobierno o las autoridades públicas y la Sociedad Nacional
aumento de la eficacia y la eficiencia de los programas y operaciones
desarrollo y uso de herramientas o metodologías innovadoras
formación y capacidad de los miembros del personal y de los voluntarios (en el caso de las Sociedades Nacionales);
otros asociados

Describa detalladamente las repercusiones:

The Outcomes of the Mind the Mind now Conference in Amsterdam in 2019, the RCRC resolution and Policy on MHPSS and the consecutive Roadmap, have helped solidify and increase the international multistakeholder network working on MHPSS. Governments, International Organisations (from the Movement, UN and other), national and local organisations, (organisations of) people with lived experience, academics, have even more strongly joined forces, coordinated actions, learned from each other, and as much as possible listened to those in need and to those doing the actual work to ensure accessible MHPSS in crisis settings.

The Netherlands has experienced and witnessed cooperation on MHPSS with, and within the Movement deepening, solidifying and enriching. The decision to transform the IFRC Psychosocial Centre into an International MHPSS Movement Hub is yet a further step on this joint road.

5. Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en las comunidades a las que el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución presta servicios?

Describa las repercusiones:

The Netherlands ministry of Foreign Affairs as such does not itself immediately serve communities. It supports the Movement and other humanitarian organisations and organisations responding to protracted crises and/or working on building and sustaining peace, to enable them to serve multiple communities. Since 2019, on the core elements of the MHPSS resolution, considerable progress was achieved and this has had an impact on the response provided to a good number of communities served by the counterparts, among which, importantly, by many National Societies. Among many other materials, the Surveys conducted by the Movement on MHPSS in the COVID response and consecutive surveys, speak to this.