A) Objectives of the pledge:
Responding to people’s mental health and psychosocial needs is critical to their survival and daily functioning, and to their well-being, their enjoyment of human rights and their access to protection and assistance.
To ensure that people’s needs are met in a holistic manner, mental health and psychosocial support should be integrated into the responses that meet their other basic needs. This should be accompanied by targeted, more specialized mental health and psychosocial support services. Integrating mental health and psychosocial considerations into other areas of support will also help address the stigma that is often associated with mental health and psychosocial issues.
In addition, the mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected may be more efficiently addressed by systematically integrating mental health and psychosocial support into national legislation, disaster laws, preparedness plans, emergency response, recovery and coordination mechanisms.
The pledge supports the implementation of the resolution of the 33rd International Conference “Addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies”.
B) Action plan:
The Croatian Red Cross ensures to:
– Build mental health and psychosocial support into humanitarian preparedness and response activities in other programme areas and structures, such as nutrition, education, health, social care, restoring family links, shelter and protection;
– Integrate the identification of mental health and psychosocial support needs into all other needs assessments and tools;
– Ensure all affected people are represented (men, women, boys and girls) when designing assessments and programmes for humanitarian assistance and services, including the users of mental health and psychosocial services, in order to give a voice to people with lived experiences;
– Consider carrying out activities that help reduce the stigma associated with mental health and psychosocial needs;
– Integrate mental health and psychosocial support so that it is a core component of international and domestic emergency response systems, including disaster laws, preparedness and emergency coordination mechanisms;
– Provide training for all humanitarian staff and volunteers to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge and skills related to mental health and psychosocial support that are relevant to their sector or programme;
– Promote and protect the mental health and psychosocial well-being of the people responding to humanitarian emergencies across all sectors;
– Contribute to or initiate studies on integrated mental health and psychosocial support services, to ensure that the lessons learnt inform evidence-based approaches to integration.
C) Indicators for measuring progress:
– Sector-specific guidelines are created that include mental health and psychosocial support (e.g. the protection, shelter and education sectors).
– Sector-specific coordination structures and/or forums are created that include mental health and psychosocial support.
– The percentage of needs assessments that include mental health and psychosocial support is increased (e.g. field assessment and coordination missions).
– Sector and/or programme assessment tools are developed and/or revised to include mental health and psychosocial support needs.
– The percentage of needs assessments that document and include users of mental health and psychosocial services is increased.
– Information campaigns are carried out about the possible mental health and psychosocial impacts of armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies.
– Anti-stigma campaigns about mental health and psychosocial needs are carried out.
– National emergency response legislation, policies, plans and coordination mechanisms are reviewed and/or revised in order to integrate mental health and psychosocial support.
– Mental health and psychosocial support is integrated and represented in preparedness and emergency coordination mechanisms through focal points.
– The number of staff and volunteers trained in mental health and psychosocial support is increased and they are integrated in their relevant sector or programme.
– Additional funding is allocated to support staff and volunteers in their training and work in mental health and psychosocial support.
– Mental health and psychosocial support are integrated in national and multi-country studies.
D) Resource implications:
Human Resources (staff and volunteers)
Financial resources to finance supporting actions
