Mental health and psychosocial support: Not a luxury for some, but a right for all
March 2023
In December 2019, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement adopted a set of commitments to address mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs. To translate these historic commitments into action, six priority action areas were formulated as part of a roadmap for implementation. Five working groups were established, each focusing on one of the priority action areas aiming to:
1) strengthen the integration of basic psychosocial support across sectors
2) promote MHPSS holistically in line with the Movement’s MHPSS framework
3) protect the well-being of the Movement’s staff and volunteers
4) promote monitoring, evaluation and research
5) undertake advocacy and resource mobilization.
The roadmap extends until the end of 2023, however, there is a resolve for MHPSS to remain on the international agenda in the longer term, and a new MHPSS governance structure has been established to ensure its continuity.
