From 3 to 6 March, the United Nations Office to the African Union participated in an African Union expert consultation on the development of a policy on psycho social well being support for peace support operations, held in Rabat, Morocco.
The meeting examined the growing psycho social and operational pressures faced by personnel deployed in complex and high risk environments. Participants noted that exposure to insecurity, violence and prolonged deployment can affect individual well being, mission performance and institutional duty of care.
The consultation aimed to inform the development of a standardized AU policy by reviewing existing challenges across the deployment cycle, identifying policy and institutional gaps, and drawing on international and regional good practices. Participants included representatives from the AU Commission, AU peace support operations, regional organizations, strategic partners and subject matter experts.
Discussions highlighted uneven access to psycho social support across civilian, military and police components and emphasized the need for an operationally realistic and context sensitive policy. Participants underscored the importance of leadership accountability, crisis intervention, gender considerations, cultural sensitivity and stigma reduction.
The meeting concluded with agreement on next steps toward further technical refinement and broader consultations to support finalization of the policy.
