3rd Nordic MHPSS Conference Oslo 2026

3rd Nordic MHPSS Conference

From response to resilience: Strengthening mental health and psychosocial wellbeing before, during and after emergencies
Oslo 3-4 June 2026 at Oslo Met

The Nordic Network for MHPSS in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings, the Norwegian Network for Global Mental Health and OsloMet, supported by Norad/Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Kavli Foundation.

NNGMH consists of NGOs, governmental institutions, professionals, and individuals. The network works to increase knowledge and practice in the field of global mental health through conferences and seminars in Norway. The Norwegian network is part of the wider Nordic Network for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings founded in 2022.

The main conference is on 3rd to 4th June and will be preceded by a youth conference, organised by the Mental Health Youth Alliance on 2nd June 2026.

The 2026 conference will focus on integrating MHPSS across preparedness, response, recovery, development, and sustaining peace; encouraging continued prioritisation and investment by government and private sector to strengthen systems; and promoting a holistic and rights-based approach that elevates youth and lived experience.

Info: Participants of the conference will register, find refreshments before heading into the the lecture hall and find their seats

Info: Panel conversation. Key note form Simon 30 min + proper QnA for 25 min

Info: A short 15 min break to recharge your batteries

Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium

Info: A short 15 min break to recharge your batteries

Info: Drafting of organizational priorities for coming two years. Closing reflections.

Info: Participants arrive at Andrea Arntzens hus, Pilestredet 32 - outside the auditorium N002.107 - for the conference and/or the open half day to register, and find refreshments, before heading into the large auditorium hall to find their seats. auditorium N002.107

Info: *Heidi Westborg Steel, is Director of International Child Development Programme Norway and co-lead of the Norwegian Network for Global Mental Health and the Nordic MHPSS Network. * Carl Christian Thodesen, is the Pro-rector at Oslo Metropolitan University. Welcomes you to the main campus at Oslo Metropolitan University on behalf of them as the location host. *Usman Mushtaq is the State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministery of Health and Care Services. Welcomes you to Norway on behalf of the government.

Info: Presents the Nordic network of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and opens the conference on behalf of the network host

Info: *Olena Zelenska is the First Lady of Ukraine (MHPSS response and focus of Ukraine), *Charlene Sunkel is the founder and CEO of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, (Unapologetically experts by lived experience) and *Devora Kestel is the director of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at WHO, (WHO priorities) will provide their online greetings and introductions to the topic of MHPSS.

Info: Dr. Rabih El Chammay will share his experience from founding and leading the government led National Mental Health Programme in Lebanon, to share their experiences on Mental Health before, during and after emergency. Dr Rabih El Chammay is a psychiatrist and Head of the National Mental Health Programme at the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. He founded the programme and led the development of Lebanon’s first National Mental Health and Substance Use Strategy.

Info: Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz will share his perspective from Africa CDC Mental health as an African priority, focusing on public mental health, system strengthening, multi-sectoral action, MHPSS, and human rights. Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz is the Head of the Division of Disease Control and Prevention at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Dr. Abdulaziz was a founding senior epidemiologist at Africa CDC and has led initiatives in non-communicable diseases, reproductive health, and mental health.

Info: A representative (TBC) from the MHPSS Reference Group led by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) will share their perspectives on the current situation and the humanitarian reset we are seeing globally.

Info: Mental Health Youth Alliance –interactive session

Info: This panel conversation will look at how addressing discrimination and confronting colonial structures, can create the foundation for a more connected and impactful approach to humanitarian support. You will meet different voices from across structures of the humanitarian system, that will face this conversation head on, and share their perspectives on how we, together, can address the root causes that we see are dominating the headlines globally. This conversation will be chaired by Marie Dahl from The MHPSS Collaborative & Jimmy Westerheim the founder of The Human Aspect.

Info: Reflections on previous presentations and discussion, views on integration in policy, their recommendations to each other, practical steps. This conversation will be chaired by Carmen Valle-Trabadero from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub & Ragnhild Dybdahl from the Norwegian MHPSS Network. *Usman Ahmad Mushtaq, the State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministery of Health and Care Services. *is the co-founder and CEO of United for Global mental health *Mark Van Ommeren, Dr Mark van Ommeren is Head of the Mental Health Unit within the WHO Department of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use.

Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium

Info: Closed session. Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2

Info: The AWA Project: Bridging Climate Anxiety and Water Resilience: A Youth-Led Framework for Cross-Sectoral Collaboration between Nordic and Global South Actors. Big-picture perspective, drawing on the work of Norwegian Institute of Nature Research (NINA), the experience, and emerging knowledge at the intersection of climate, nature, and mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. The MHPSS/Climate Change Framework Working Group: What has been done since the last conference? An operation perspective by the Working Group.

*Andrea Cáceres Almendrades is the Founder & Executive Director of The AWA Project, and the Head of International Operations in Savinco Social Finance. *Margarita Novoa-Garrido is the Research Director at NINA leading a group of social scientists and sociologists and the One Health strategic topic in NINA. auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2

Info: A short 15 min break to change rooms from main auditorium to your assigned break out room auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium

Info: Climate and nature symposium 1. Although experts call for climate-MHPSS integration, data gaps remain on where such programs exist, how climate risks are considered, and what common barriers and facilitators can help to inform the development and implementation of integrated climate-MHPSS programs. Leveraging data and local expertise within the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement, which assists 191 countries as the largest humanitarian network globally, can help to close these gaps. In this presentation, McGill University et al. will share learnings from three data sources: 1) the Global MHPSS Survey, a survey administered to all 191 RCRC National Societies, adapted to include questions about climate change and climate-MHPSS programs; 2) interviews and focus group discussions with RCRC actors across five global regions; and 3) a databank scan of RCRC records that detail current programs.
Auditorium PA124 - Group work room

Info: Climate and nature symposium 2. The climate crisis is not just an environmental emergency but a profound psychosocial challenge. BRAC presents its pioneering work at the intersection of climate change, mental health, and ECD in the Global South, showcasing the Green Play Lab Initiatives which are community-owned ECD centers that integrate MHPSS directly into climate resilience. The Green Play and MHPSS components are crucial, as they help communities build resilience during climate-related crises — providing children and caregivers with emotional support, coping skills, and environmentally sustainable practices that strengthen the community in times of vulnerability. They buffer young children from climate trauma by providing safe, nature-based learning spaces made from local materials. Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude

Info: Climate and nature symposium 3. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium

Info: TBC (Submission note: Locally-led implementation, co-creation, youth community-based and peer support MHPSS incl. for climate-related stressors: Showcase, critically discuss and test a youth-led approach to strengthening MHPSS in crisis settings through the MHPSS Card Game/ Conversation Starter developed by Save the Children Netherlands together with young people with lived experience of displacement, conflict, and climate-related stressors.)

Info: TBC (Submission note: Community-led, peer based, hybrid MHPSS youth-led support: Swedish Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross Youth - co-created together with youth a hybrid peer-led community based in-person and digital MHPSS support in social disadvantaged areas in Sweden.)

Info: TBC (Submission note: VoiceMore, War Child’s youth-led advocacy methodology)

Info: Summary reflections from track 1 & closing key note

Info: A break to change rooms from main auditorium to your assigned break out room auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium

Info: Participants of the conference and/or the open half day will register, find refreshments before heading into the the lecture hall and find their seats. Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2

Info: Responsible Norway. Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2

Info: A short 15 min break to change rooms from main auditorium to your assigned break out room auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium.

Info: Auditorium PA124 - Group work room

Info: Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium

Info: Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium

Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium

Info: Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2.

Info: Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2. Responsible Sweden

Info: A short 15 min break to change rooms from main auditorium to your assigned break out room auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium

Info: Innovation symposium 1. Locally Led, Context-Driven Innovations: From Concept to Impact
Auditorium PA124 - Group work room.

Info: Locally led, low-threshold MHPSS innovation: Integrating universal principles with cultural and contextual adaptation in war/conflict, resource-constrained and humanitarian settings.

Info: TBC (Submission: How artificial intelligence can be used to strengthen suicide risk detection and crisis response. A study from Lebanon.)

Info: TBC (Submission focus: Locally-led, youth co-creation, peer to peer and hybrid innovation: By leveraging social media, digital storytelling, and mobile-based engagement with expert support from KCMC Hospital and Institute of Public Health (IPH) at KCMC University, KCMC Mental Health creates low-cost, scalable platforms and a peer-to-peer hybrid approach that promote help-seeking, normalize conversations on mental health, and connect youth to available psychosocial service)

Info: Innovation symposium 2. Partnerships and Pathways: Scaling What Works
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium

Info: TBC (Submission note: Multi-sectoral collaboration, systems innovation and scale: The Better Learning Programme (BLP)

Info: TBC (Submission note: Multisectoral collaboration scale/sustainability pathway, hybrid open source innovation: Play and Heal - The LEGO Foundation, UNICEF, and Care for Education)

Info: Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium

Info: TBC (Submission note: Integrated MHPSS programming, community co-creation, systems approach and evidence generation: The session presents War Child’s multi-year effort to develop and evaluate an integrated care system supporting the wellbeing of children, youth, caregivers, and teachers affected by armed conflict)

Info: TBC (Submission note: Finance Innovation: MHPSS Collaborative piloted a methodology for systematic financial tracking of MHPSS at global and national levels. In collaboration with the IASC MHPSS Reference Group and the MHPSS TWGs in West Bank and Gaza)

Info: A short 15 min break to change rooms from main auditorium to your assigned break out room auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium

Info: Summary reflections, closing key note and handing over from Norway to next Nordic conference host

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Oslomet, 0890 Pilestredet Park, Oslo, Norway

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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