From 17 to 19 August, the United Nations Office to the African Union participated in a validation workshop in Accra, Ghana, on the draft African Union Policy on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Peace Support Operations.
Organized by the AU Peace Support Operations Division, the workshop brought together representatives of the AU Commission, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms, Member States, training institutions and partner organizations to review and validate the draft policy.
The policy aims to strengthen the resilience and wellbeing of personnel before, during and after deployment, while institutionalizing mental health and psychosocial support as a core component of the AU’s duty of care and operational readiness. Discussions addressed governance and implementation arrangements, gender responsiveness, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, accountability, coordination, confidentiality and access to services.
UNOAU contributed technical expertise and lessons from UN peace operations, including on implementation, capacity-building, partnerships, continuity of care, leadership engagement and reducing stigma around mental health and psychosocial support. UNOAU also highlighted the importance of developing an AU security management policy for peace support operations.
The workshop concluded with the validation of the draft policy and recommendations to support its finalization and eventual adoption as a harmonized framework for mental health and psychosocial support in AU peace support operations.
