The session was held on March 3rd, 2023, Room XXII at Palais des Nations in Geneva, in collaboration with The Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health (GIWEH) and The Geneva Alliance for Human Rights and Development (GAHRD). The panel was composed of:
- Dr Mark Van Ommeren, head of the mental health unit within the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use
- Douglas Khayat, Mental Health Delegate at International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC
- Nour Hamada, president of Geneva Alliance for Human Rights and Development.
During the conference, the panelists discussed the lessons learned from the past and ongoing conflicts in terms of :
- understanding the challenges of the journeys migrants take from their country of origin to the host country, and how important the care offered in the host country
- examining how vulnerable groups interact with frontline public MH health services in the host country
- identifying barriers faced in host countries both for primary and secondary healthcare
- understanding if barriers are linked to lack of capacity or other political-economy reasons
- exploring similarities, differences and lessons learned from the spectrum of contexts in which refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable host communities access services (exchange of practices between frontline workers of both contexts).
- providing a forum for knowledge exchange of what works and what does not in the design and delivery of MH services for vulnerable service users.
- making recommendations for improving MH services and continuity of care in host communities for all users – refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable locals – to improve equity of access to health care.
Geneva Alliance for Human Rights and Development 