FORUM: “Mental health is a universal human right.“ World Mental Health Day 2023. It represent an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right. Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.
EVENTS: On October 10th, a webinar entitled “Mental health is a universal human right.“ will be organized to mark the World Mental Health Day 2023 and to promote awareness of Mental Health in people all over the world. Have a glance at the different events and initiatives being conducted by stakeholders across the world that are featured under the ambit of the Global WMHD Campaign 2023. Explore the Worldwide events!
WEBINARS:
STATEMENTS
It gives me great pleasure to celebrate with you the Diamond Jubilee of the WFMH. It has been seventy-five years since its first meeting in London in 1948. This organisation has carried the flag of mental health advocacy on a global level. The letter from King George in 1948 to the Federation highlighted our mission of advocacy and support for mental health in our community, it went beyond the needs of the mentally ill and suggested the Federation would help world citizens live together in peace and a good neighbourliness.
Seventy-five years later, I look back at our achievements and shortcomings. Having inherited from my grandfather the details of that conference, I was able to observe with pride the energy towards a multi-disciplinary approach to mental health care.
The world has evolved over the years adopting the biological model for treatment of mental health problems, but it quickly became clear that without advocacy and anti-stigma efforts, access to care services becomes challenging. The work of the Federation has continued to grow choosing the theme for Mental Health Day since 1993, supporting the needs of immigrants and refugees in the crisis areas and advocating for women in mental health are some of the highlights of our work. We have been able to maintain the voice of people with lived experience of mental disorder in policy and regulation planning. Families and carers have worked actively with the Federation since its inception.
On the academic level, the Federation has organised and participated in over 100 scientific conferences. The current group headed by our president elect is actively working on producing a journal for the Federation, a step we all look forward to. Looking at the coming seventy-five years, the Federation stands on solid grounds of governance and transparency, the work of the secretariat in setting standards for management and procedural activities was essential in maintaining our good relations with the UN and other international agencies.
So congratulations dear friends on this milestone. I send you my best wishes for many more years of success and achievements for WFMH.
Yours sincerely,
Nasser Loza
President WFMH
President Egyptian Society for the Rights of People with mental illness
On 10 October 2023 we will be celebrating World Mental Health Day with the theme ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’ chosen by a global vote open to the public, including World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) members, stakeholders, and supporters.
This year’s World Mental Health Day celebration coincides with the 75th Anniversary of the foundation of the WFMH in 1948. At its foundation a range of recommendations were made, including that specialised agencies of the United Nations (UN) should do everything possible to co-ordinate their activities in the interest of developing adequate mental health programmes within each member nation; and that the World Health Organization (WHO) give adequate attention to mental health principles in their health programmes, drawing on international professional organisations for co-operation.
1948 was an important year for human rights because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted on 10 December 1948 by the UN General Assembly with Article 1 thereof stating: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.’
Although the UDHR did not specifically mention mental health, and neither was it a treaty, by 1966, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) was adopted, Article 12 whereof stated: ‘The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.’
The United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) was adopted in 2007 with the vision ‘to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY 2023 – Mental Health is a Universal Human Right. 4 rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity’ and included people with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments.
Despite all efforts by the UN, WHO, WFMH, governments, institutions and other agencies, mental health discrimination, harmful stereotypes and stigma in the community, family, schools and the workplace still persist. The same prevents healthy relationships, social interactions and inclusive environments needed for the well-being of all members of society and presents barriers to the enjoyment of full well-being for all, especially those with mental health challenges.
Previous reports by the UN Human Rights office highlight that people with mental health conditions and those with psychosocial disabilities experience disproportionately higher rates of poor physical health and reduced life expectancy. Stigma is also a significant determinant of quality care and access to the full range of services required.
Investment and transformation in mental health is needed to help stop the widespread human rights violations that people with mental health conditions continue to experience worldwide.
This year’s theme enables us to re-double our efforts to ensure that everybody should receive quality mental health care and that the human rights and well-being of people with mental illness are respected in all parts of the world so that every person with a mental health difficulty has:The right to be protected from known harms to mental health; a universal right which applies to the entire population, but especially the vulnerable including children, minorities and the displaced peoples.
The right to access quality and affordable care when a person is struggling with their mental health.
The right to freedom and dignity, including the right of choice. The 2023 World Mental Health Day theme ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’ provides us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to make the world a better place.
We invite you to join this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign.
Professor Gabriel Ivbijaro MBE JP
WFMH Secretary-General
Visiting Professor Population Mental Health NOVA University Lisbon Portugal Honorary Visiting Fellow Bradford University School of Management UK Past President WFMH President & Founder The World Dignity Project.
Statement from the Founder of the Fahim Foundation for Mental Health Support. Member of the WFMH, Nabila Makram AbdelShahid, on World Mental Health Day 2023; October 10th.
“I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within” Rumi
“In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible” Cicero
Social media exposure, digitalization of many aspects of life, natural disasters and political crises, economic burden and unemployability, spread of infection and disease, collapse of social norms, all this is causing distress on our soul and mind. As a result, we see violence, addiction, suicide, and depression more common in our societies.
Therefore, we need to emphasize that the right to mental health is a subject of ever-increasing importance. In September 2017, the Human Rights Council Resolution recognized the importance of integrating mental health services into primary and general health care.
However, it is a joint responsibility to act against stigmatizing psychiatric patients and mental health service providers, to raise awareness on the importance of mental health, to understand the needs and demands of psychiatric patients and their caregivers, to direct funding and resources to support and drive a paradigm shift in the field of mental health.
Only if we join forces, cooperate and exchange knowledge and expertise, only if we complement each other and bridge gaps and face challenges, we can build an inclusive society that integrates psychiatric patients socially, that is able to acknowledge mental illness, where mentally ill receive appropriate treatment at the right time without fear or shame.
Nabila Makram Abdel Shahid, Founder of the Fahim Foundation for Mental Health Support.
Statement from the World Organization Of Family Doctors (WONCA) on Mental Health Day 2023; October 10th.
Dear Dr. Nasser Loza, President of the World Federation for Mental Health, and Prof. Gabriel Ivbijaro, Secretary-General of WFMH, On behalf of the World Organization of Family Doctors, I extend our heartfelt congratulations to the World Federation for Mental Health on the momentous occasion of your 75th anniversary. WFMH’s dedication to mental health advocacy, policy formulation, and community engagement is an inspiration to us all. The breadth of your partnerships and the scope of your projects has touched lives across the globe. We are incredibly proud and grateful for our partnership with WFMH. Your commitment to dignity, rights, and equity in mental health aligns seamlessly with our own mission to improve the quality of life for families globally. As you celebrate this significant milestone, we look forward to strengthening our collaboration with WFMH in the years to come. Together, we can continue to make strides in mental health care and advocacy, ensuring a healthier and more equitable world for all. Once again, congratulations on 75 remarkable years! Sincerely.
Dr Anna Stavdal, WONCA President.
CAMPAIGN: ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’.
As we mark 75 years of mental health advocacy, we at the World Federation for Mental Health bring to you one of our largest endeavours – The WFMH Global Campaign 2023, the WFMH 75th Anniversary and the World Mental Health Day 2023. The Global Campaign and its initiatives would be based on this year’s official theme of World Mental Health Day – ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’. Mental health as a universal right to all citizens of the world is consistent with the 1948 founding principles of WFMH. The global campaign aims to place mental health in a human rights framework to re-cast the aspiration for sound mental health as a fundamental human right. The global campaign aims to engage individuals, communities, institutions, and stakeholders worldwide, with the objective of empowering grassroot advocacy for the cause of mental health and its intersection with human rights. While featuring theme-based global events and embracing diverse creative expressions through digital means, the campaign intends to promote awareness and put-forth the significance of mental health.
Join us in this journey as we unite to raise awareness about the importance of mental health as an indispensable universal human right, with the vision of fostering a world that values and nurtures the well-being of all.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
- Engage with the theme "Mental Health is a Universal Human Right".
- Join the Global Volunteers Team of World Federation for Mental Health and be a part of the Organizing Team of WFMH Global Campaign 2023. Help in increasing the campaign’s digital and on-ground outreach, along with encouraging participation in global activities.
- Commemorate this journey with our WFMH Global Campaign events, and information.
In recognition of World Mental Health Day 2023, the World Federation for Mental Health is delighted to feature a composition by Chad Lawson from Decca Records US, a part of Universal Music Group – Stay as the official music of the WFMH Global Campaign 2023. Listen to the Official Music Of WMHD 2023!
No comments:
Post a Comment