~United Nations UN New York
NGO Committee on Mental Health~
The UN NGO Committee on Mental Health, chaired by Nancy Wallace, WFMH Main Representative to UN NY, has been very active in the past six months. It has organized regular programs and meetings, developed position statements, and worked to establish relationships with key offices within the UN system which have responsibility for specific issues that relate to the mission of the Committee. The Program presentations have covered topics such as human rights, violence against women, substance abuse, UN programs on disabilities, and the WHO Nations for Mental Health program. The Committee has also been collaborating with other NGO Committees in various programs and presentations. In April, the Committee had a presentation on the follow-up to the 1995 Harvard World Mental Health Report. This was a critical evaluation of the problems and priorities involved in providing mental health services in low-income countries.
The Committee has established five Working Groups in the following areas:
(1) Gender Perspectives and Mental Health
(2) Life Span Mental Health: Children, Adolescents, Families and Ageing
(3) Mental Dysfunction/Illness: Prevention, Treatment and Attitudes
(4) Refugees, Migrants, Armed Conflict and Mental Health
(5) Substance Abuse and Mental Health
The Working Groups play a vital role in planning and organizing the work and activities of the Committee.
