Africa: The Netherlands Continues Their Leadership Role in Supporting the Mental Health of People Affected By Humanitarian Crises

On 3 July 2023 Paul Bekkers, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Dr Catharina Boehme, Assistant Director General for External Relations and Governance, met to mark the renewal of the partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in humanitarian crises.

Since 2019 the Netherlands has supported WHO in collaboration with our partners UNICEF, UNHCR and UNFPA to develop and test a Minimum Service Package (MSP) for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in humanitarian emergencies. The MSP builds on existing standards and tools to create a single, easy-to-follow intersectoral package to reduce suffering and improve mental health and psychosocial well-being among adults, children and young people living in humanitarian crises. The Netherlands contributed Ꞓ5 million (from 2019-2021) towards the package, which included global field testing and demonstration projects in five countries (Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, Ukraine, South Sudan). The final MSP was launched in December 2022. So far, over 2,000 humanitarian actors have been oriented on the MSP and over 21,000 people from more than 150 countries have accessed the MSP via the dedicated website.

The next phase of the project will focus on building capacity on using the MHPSS MSP in humanitarian settings, especially among local actors. This will include more intensive support at the country level by MHPSS experts. The project will also strengthen MHPSS needs assessment in humanitarian emergencies, by developing a multi-sectoral MHPSS Assessment Toolkit. Having appropriate and practical tools to quickly assess MHPSS needs across different sectors such as health, protection and education, will help ensure that resources are directed efficiently to help affected populations rebuild their lives.

Ambassador Paul Bekkers underlined that the pandemic has shown us all how much a crisis can impact on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people around the world. It is therefore important to have the tools and capacity to address the issue. The MSP is an important part of that toolbox. Mental health and psychosocial wellbeing are vital for resilience and self-reliance, particularly among women and young people, but also for communities and countries.

Thanking Ambassador Bekkers for this contribution, Dr Catharina Boehme commented “WHO appreciates the Netherlands’ longstanding leadership in supporting mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian emergencies. We welcome the decision of the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation to renew the partnership with WHO and partners, and work together to alleviate suffering and improve the mental health of people affected by humanitarian crises”.

The Netherlands is a long-time supporter and partner of WHO. Through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Netherlands funds crucial activities not only in mental health but also in areas such as water and sanitation, tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health in emergencies, One Health, emergency preparedness, primary health care, antimicrobial resistance, while facilitating cooperation with several leading Dutch institutions.