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WHO | New WHO, UNICEF and UN Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) publication: Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and mental health and psychosocial support: operational guidance

Dear all,

I am pleased to forward the announcement below from WHO, UNICEF and PBPSO.

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Dear all, 

WHO, UNICEF and the UN Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office (PBPSO) recently published - Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and mental health and psychosocial support: operational guidance. This publication identifies key issues, strategic and programmatic entry points for strengthening mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) within disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). The operational guidance is informed by existing guidance, international standards, expert consultations and practitioner experience. 

At the 77th World Health Assembly, Resolution A77/A/CONF./11 2024 emphasized the need to address the MHPSS needs of children associated with armed forces and armed groups, prisoners of war and former combatants through comprehensive services.

To strengthen the approach to MHPSS in DDR settings, this operational guidance highlights 11 key issues. Examples of these key issues are to: 

  • recognize DDR as a mental health and psychosocial process as much as an economic and political one
  • take a whole-of family and community-based approach to integrating MHPSS into DDR
  • integrate MHPSS into DDR in a child sensitive manner, building on existing frameworks and standards for MHPSS and children associated with armed conflict and armed groups
  • support and strengthen the agency and participation of people who were formerly recruited or associated with armed forces and groups.

To help support implementation, the operational guidance includes links to existing guidance and standards. Overall, the operational guidance seeks to be a tool for advocacy, standardisation, and building consensus around practice. As the integration of MHPSS and DDR continues to evolve, this operational brief offers a foundation for future work to build upon.

For more information:

Please contact Fahmy Hanna hannaf@who.int, Marcia Brophy mbrophy@unicef.org, Kwame Poku kwame.poku@un.org and Josefine Brons josefine.brons@un.org for any further information or questions. 

Gratefully,

Fahmy Hanna, Kwame Poku and Zeinab Hijazi

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Best wishes,

Mark van Ommeren, PhD
Head, Mental Health and Substance Use Unit
Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health
World Health Organization (WHO)
Ave. Appia, Geneva 1211 Switzerland.

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