Report: Lebanon’s Urgent Mental Health Crisis: How can Nordic actors contribute to response, recovery and systems strengthening?

Intense bombardments in Lebanon over months of conflict killed more than 3500 people including 226 healthcare workers and resulted in the displacement of almost one million people. However, that was merely the latest chapter of a history of armed conflict and political turmoil in the small and volatile country hosting large populations of refugees from its neighbors in the region. 

In December Dr. Rabih El Chammay, Head of Lebanon’s National Mental Health Programme, visited Copenhagen to meet with Nordic stakeholders including the Nordic Network on MHPSS, the MHPSS Collaborative and the IASC MHPSS Reference Group. The aim of the visit was to explore how Nordic actors can contribute to response, recovery and systems strengthening in Lebanon. Because in the words Dr. El Chammay: “In times like these, mental health is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.”

Dr. El Chammay highlighted the need for a multi-year investment that focuses on the multisectoral integration of MHPSS and bridges the gap between humanitarian and development funding.