About this Event
In June 2026, the Norwegian Network for Global Mental Health (NNGMH), Norad, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, OsloMet and the Kavli Trust co-hosts the third Nordic Conference on MHPSS: From response to resilience: Strengthening mental health and psychosocial wellbeing before, during and after emergencies
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 MHPSS Network.
The main conference is on 3 to 4 June at OsloMet and will be preceded by a youth conference, organised by the Mental Health Youth Alliance on 2 June 2026.
The conference comes at a time when the world is at a very critical point. Crisis and wars are escalating, climate change and nature loss are leading to increases of natural disasters affecting people and affecting the globe's future sustainability, and the stress of the world is having a destabilising effect on people, relations, and the economy.
The theme of the conference “From Response to Resilience - Strengthening Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing Before, During, and After Emergencies”, indicates a need for change from just responding to challenges to seeking the roots and building resilience in people, planet and systems. We want to explore how the global community can innovatively increase the well-being of people and communities despite the instability we are experiencing.
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.
The conference is made possible through generous funding from Caritas Sweden, Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Bergen.
Date & Time: June 2nd 2026 (youth), and 3-4th of June 2026
Location: Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) - Andrea Arntzens hus day 1, Pilestredet 32 - open session: The rest of the conference will be at Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo
Youth day: June 2nd 2026
🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Arrival & Registration
Info: Participants of the conference will register, find refreshments before heading into the the lecture hall and find their seats
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Opening
🕑: 09:15 AM - 09:30 AM
Partnership team
Host: Victor Hamann
🕑: 09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Funding and Policy team
Host: Isabelle
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:00 AM
Communications team
Host: Mattis Bodvill
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Learning from Youth Changemakers
Host: Simon Marot Touloung - GRYN, Co-founder of African Youth
Info: Panel conversation. Key note form Simon 30 min + proper QnA for 25 min
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Break
Info: A short 15 min break to recharge your batteries
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Youth political panel
Host: Youth politicians from Norway
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch
Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Presentation of survey findings
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:00 PM
Walk through of conference contribution
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:15 PM
Workshop on strategic development 1/2
🕑: 03:15 PM - 03:30 PM
Break
Info: A short 15 min break to recharge your batteries
🕑: 03:30 PM - 04:15 PM
Presentation of group discussions
🕑: 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM
Next two years + Closing reflections
Info: This closing session will cover the aspects - Where did we start? where are we now?, and where do we want to go? To be able to look at the youth alliances' journey from a bird's-eye view and connect with our priorities for the coming 2 years.
Day 1. June 3rd 2026
🕑: 08:00 AM - 08:30 AM
Arrival & Registration
Host: The Nordic Network for MHPSS in Fragile and Humanitarian
Info: Participants arrive at Andrea Arntzens hus, Pilestredet 32 - outside the auditorium N002.107 - for the conference and/or the open session to register, and find refreshments, before heading into the large auditorium hall to find their seats. auditorium N002.107
🕑: 08:30 AM - 08:35 AM
Music opening by Almir & Daniel
Info: Almir Meskovic and Daniel Lazar are a virtuosic and energetic duo who blend folk-inspired elements with impressive improvisation, have collaborated with renowned artists and institutions, and deliver playful, audience-engaging performances that celebrate creativity and camaraderie.
🕑: 08:35 AM - 08:55 AM
Welcome and introduction by organizer
Host: Heidi Westborg Steel - ICDP
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. Åsmund Aukrust is the Minister of Development in the Norwegian Government. Welcomes you to Norway on behalf of the government.
🕑: 08:55 AM - 09:05 AM
Welcome to Norway 2
Host: Usman Mushtaq - State Secretary Norway
Info: State Secretary Usman Mushtaq of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services welcomes you to Norway on behalf of the government
🕑: 09:05 AM - 09:10 AM
Online greetings
Host: Olena Zelenska - Olena Zelenska - First Lady
Info: Opening greetings and introduction from selected voices from around the world. Olena Zelenska on the MHPSS response and focus of Ukraine) TBC, Charlene Sunkel on the Unapologetically experts by lived experience.
🕑: 09:10 AM - 09:25 AM
Mental Health before, during and after emergency, the Lebanese experience
Host: Rabih El Chammay - NMHP (TBC)
Info: 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. 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.
🕑: 09:25 AM - 09:35 AM
Mental health as an African priority
Host: Mohammed Abdulaziz - Africa CDC
Info: Mohammed Abdulaziz is the Head of the Division of Disease Control and Prevention at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Abdulaziz was a founding senior epidemiologist at Africa CDC and has led initiatives in non-communicable diseases, reproductive health, and mental health.
🕑: 09:35 AM - 09:45 AM
Current situation and the Humanitarian reset
Host: Joshua Lee - IASC
Info: Joshua Lee 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. Joshua Lee is a MHPSS Specialist and the Co-chair of the IASC MHPSS Reference Group, working at the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub.
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:00 AM
The youth perspective
Host: Victor Hamann - Mental Health Youth Alliance
Info: In this presentation, Mental Health Youth Alliance (MHYA) and YGlobal will present a summary of the Youth Day and the survey report that MHYA has been working on for the last year. Victor Hamann is the Head at Mental Health Youth Alliance and Mattis Bodvill is the Head of Communication at Mental Health Youth Alliance.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Break (Coffee & tea)
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Shifting power dynamics, confronting colonial structures and discrimination
Host: Simon Marot Touloung - GRYN & AYAN
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.
This conversation will be chaired by Marie Dahl from The MHPSS Collaborative and Jimmy Westerheim the founder of The Human Aspect.
🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Rooting action in policy: A conversation between civil society and government
Host: Sweden Ministry of Foreign Affairs (TBC)
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 and Ragnhild Dybdahl from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Representative from Sweden Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Stine Horn from Director for Human Development at NORAD.. Erik Mønsted Pedersen from The Danish Association for Mental Health (SIND). Mark van Ommeren is Head of the Mental Health Unit within WHO. Abdikadir Dakane, SOS Children`s village Somalia. This conversation will be chaired by Carmen Valle-Trabadero from the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub and Ragnhild Dybdahl from The Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch
Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Intro part 2 - NNGMH roadmap.
Info: Closed session. The Nordic Network of Global Mental Health will share the roadmap and next steps.
The remainder of the day is invitations only. Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:15 PM
Climate and nature plenary session
Host: Andrea Cáceres Almendrades - The AWA Project
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 a Research Director at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, a veterinarian with a PhD in bacteriology and a deep commitment to research-based interdisciplinary approaches. TBC, The MHPSS/Climate Change Framework Working Group. Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2.
🕑: 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Break and change rooms
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. Please remain in your assigned symposium for all sub-sessions.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Symp 1: Integrating climate & MHPSS in Fragile & Humanitarian Settings
Host: Christine Bourey - Global Mental Health researcher
Info: In this presentation, McGill University et al will share learnings from three data sources: 1) the Global MHPSS Survey, a survey administered to all RCRC National Societies, adapted to include questions on climate change and climate-MHPSS; 2) interviews and focus group discussions with RCRC actors across five regions; and 3) a databank scan of RCRC records detailing current programs.
The Climate/MHPSS Framework Working Group will facilitate a guided conversation on specific interventions and principles for addressing the dual burden of climate change and mental health, building on the Practice Framework presented by McGill University. Christine Bourey, Global Mental Health Researcher at the Climate Change and Mental Health Research Lab; Jura Augustinavicius, Associate Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health at the School of Public Health, University of Montreal; Shona Whitton, Head of Technical Team in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement Hub. Climate/MHPSS. Auditorium PA124
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Symp 2: Community-Led & Inclusive Responses to Climate-MHPSS Challenges
Host: Taifur Islam - BRAC
Info: 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 plan will present research to assess the intersectional impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities in Bangladesh. The findings show that climatic hazards exacerbate inequalities and disproportionately impact women, adolescent girls, youth and marginalized communities.
Taifur Islam Lecturer and Senior Psychologist at the BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University, Bangladesh. Syed Md. Nuruddin Advisor - SRHR at Plan International Bangladesh. Kamrul Hasan Shawon Programme Manager – Climate Change and Resilience at Plan International Bangladesh. Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts Auditorium - Lecture
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Symp 3: The power of locally led youth initiatives in MHPSS
Info: Youth-led Innovation and Climate Responsive MHPSS. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 02:30 PM - 02:50 PM
Sub-session 3A: MHPSS Card Game: a youth-led approach to strengthening MHPSS
Host: Harm Haverman - Save the Children Nederland
Info: This is a presentation on a locally-led implementation, co-creation, youth community-based and peer support MHPSS incl. for climate-related stressors. Showcasing, critically discussing and testing a youth-led approach to strengthen MHPSS in crisis settings through the MHPSS Card Game/ Conversation Starter. The game is developed by Save the Children Netherlands together with young people with lived experience of displacement, conflict, and climate-related stressors.
Harm Haverman is a lobbying and advocacy specialist at Save the Children Nederland, working on addressing child poverty and mental health and psychosocial support. Relinde Reiffers is a senior technical expert in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) at Save the Children Netherlands.
Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 02:50 PM - 03:10 PM
Sub-session 3B: A Community-led, & peer based hybrid MHPSS youth-led support
Host: Sara Hedrenius - Swedish Red Cross
Info: This session will showcase and share perspectives from a Community-led, and peer based hybrid delivering MHPSS youth-led support program in socially disadvantaged areas in Sweden. The program was led by Swedish Red Cross and Swedish Red Cross Youth and co-created with youth, resulting in a hybrid peer-led community based in-person and digital MHPSS support program. Sandra Olsson is an MHPSS Advisor at the Swedish Red Cross. Sara Hedrenius is a national expert at the Swedish Red Cross's emergency preparedness and crisis support unit.
Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:55 PM
Sub-session 3C: VoiceMore - youth-led advocacy methodology
Host: Sophie Bray Watkins - War Child Alliance
Info: This is a presentation about VoiceMore, a War Child’s youth-led advocacy methodology - supporting young people affected by conflict to create and lead their own advocacy action. In partnership with ChangeFactory, with expertise in child participation, young people from Norway, and participants from VoiceMore Colombia, Ukraine, Lebanon and Uganda will present their thoughts and recommendations in relation to participation, youth-led advocacy, and MHPSS. Sophie Bray Watkins is a Senior Youth Advocacy and Participation Adviser for the War Child Alliance. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 03:55 PM - 04:30 PM
Break and change back to main auditorium
Info: A 30 min break to change rooms from your assigned break out rooms to the main auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium. Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2
🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM
Closing plenary - Track 1 summary & panel conversation
Host: Rune Mørland, Kavli Trust
Info: This closing plenary will provide the summary reflections from track 1 - Climate and nature and a closing panel conversation looking at - Rooting action in funding - A conversation about innovative funding between donors.
Renet van der Waals is the Coordinator for MHPSS in crisis situations at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rune Mørland is Head of Grants at Kavli Trust. Mary Winters, is a senior programme specialist for LEGO Foundation. Lea Zoric, Peace of Mind Foundation.
Chaired by Heidi Westborg Steel from ICDP Norway and Peter Brune from Caritas Sweden.
Chaired by Heidi Westborg Steel from ICDP Norway and Peter Brune from Caritas Sweden.
🕑: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Reception Oslo Peace Centre
Info:
Day 2. June 4th 2026
🕑: 08:00 AM - 09:00 AM
Arrival & Refreshments
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
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Good morning and recap day 1
Host: Heidi Westborg Steel - ICDP
Info: Heidi and Dawit will start the day by giving us a recap of day 1, and getting us ready for day 2.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.
Dawit Abebe is a Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Health, Department of Nursing and Health Promotion at Oslo Metropolitan University.
🕑: 09:15 AM - 10:00 AM
Children and education plenary session
Info: Responsible Norway. Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Break and change rooms
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.
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Children and education symposium 1
Host: Ashley Nemiro - WHO
Info: Children and education symposium 1 is divided into three sub-sessions highlighting evidence and action for children’s mental health and well-being. You will find more information about each sub-session below. Track Chair: Ashley Nemiro, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Consultant at WHO. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room.
🕑: 10:15 AM - 10:40 AM
Sub-session 1A: Playful participatory approach to get children’s perspectives
Host: Henry Gathercole - Right To Play
Info: This is a presentation on using a playful participatory approach to capture children’s perspectives for the locally driven design of RTP’s Ready to Learn (RTL) program. Presented by Right To Play (RTP) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) sharing insights on a program which strengthens educators' capacity to use culturally appropriate play-based learning (PBL) for children's psychosocial well-being. Ashley Nemiro, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Consultant at WHO. Henry Gathercole is a Research and Development Specialist at Right To Play. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room
🕑: 10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
Sub-session 1B: Case study: “I Support My Friends” (ISMF) program
Host: Miyuki Akasaka - Queen Margaret University
Info: This is a presentation on the “I Support My Friends” (ISMF) program. ISMF is a training for children and adolescents on how to support a friend in distress, presented by Queen Margaret University, UNICEF, Save the Children and the MHPSS Collaborative. Miyuki Akasaka is a researcher at Queen Margaret University. Anna Filorizzo Pla is a MHPSS specialist and consultant for Save the Children Norway. Anna Koehorst is a Child Protection & Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist at UNICEF. Marie Dahl is the director of the MHPSS collaborative. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room
🕑: 11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
Sub-session 1C: RU-WELL assessment tool and its evolution
Host: Daniela Espro - Save the children
Info: This is a presentation on RU-WELL as an assessment tool and its evolution. RU-WELL tracks changes in well-being over time among children and adolescents to identify need for additional support. Through an iterative, multi-country process shaped by expert input and direct feedback from children and adolescents. Daniela Espro is a Senior MEAL advisor at Save the children. Tata de Jesus is Global Award officer at Save the children. Anta Fall is a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Advisor at Save the children. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room.
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Children and education symposium 2
Info: Children and education symposium 2 is divided into three sub-sessions highlighting early Childhood Development and caregiver mental health and well-being. You will find more information about each sub-session below.
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Sub-session 2A: Strengthening caregiver capacities
Host: Bundie Kabanze - Global Fund Children
Info: This is a presentation on strengthening caregiver capacities, fostering safe environments, and utilizing play, inclusion, peer connection, and structured psychosocial support activities as healing mechanisms. Supporting caregivers as the primary architects of children's mental wellbeing, in humanitarian and fragile settings. It is presented by Global Fund for Children and this session is 35 min, followed by a 10 min QnA discussion. Bundie Kabanze is the Regional Co-Director, Africa at Global Fund for Children. Ponsiano Coda is a Program Manager at Community Focus International. Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Sub-session 2B: The Amna’s Baytna programme
Host: Gabriella Brent - Amna Refugee Healing Network
Info: This is a presentation on the four-layer System Care model and the Amna’s Baytna programme presented by Amna Refugee Healing Network. Blending neuroscience, trauma theory, cultural healing and community wisdom for long term collective healing. Sharing experiences with the program from different aspects (early childhood and caregivers), Dinami (youth and identity), and long-term programme work in 23 countries. It will be a 35 min presentation, followed by a 10 min QnA discussion.
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Children and education symposium 3
Host: Monette Indahl - MHPSS
Info: Children’s voices and education. Divided into two sub-sessions. Track chair, Monette Indahl, MHPSS specialist at ADRA Norway and steering committee member in the Nordic Network.
Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Sub-session 3A: PSS on the Reintegration of Ex-Detainee Children
Host: Mona Zaghrout - YMCA
Info: This is a presentation and discussion on the Impact of Psychosocial Support on the Reintegration of Ex-Detainee Children into Academic and Vocational Education, based on the East Jerusalem YMCA Rehabilitation Program’s. The session will be a 35 min presentation, followed by a 10 min QnA discussion. Mona Zaghrout is the Head of counseling and supervision department at East Jerusalem YMCA. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
Sub-session 3B: Voices of children
Host: Kavita Ratna - The Concerned for Working Children
Info: This is a presentation on the importance of the voices of children and locally led action in humanitarian and fragile settings, by The Concerned for Working Children. They will share from their experience in creating models of participatory platforms, where children are allowed to meaningfully express their needs, priorities and solutions. The work also involves creative engagements, various forms of play, psychosocial support, participatory research and collective action. The session will be a 35 min presentation, followed by a 10 min QnA discussion. Kavita Ratna is the Executive Director at The Concerned for Working Children. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Lunch
Info: Clara Holst hus in Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo - location outside auditorium
🕑: 12:45 PM - 01:30 PM
Children and education summary session
Host: Ashley Nemiro - WHO
Info: This plenary will provide the summary reflections from track 2 - Children and education. Ashley Nemiro is a Child & Adolescent Mental Health Consultant at WHO.
Monette Indahl is a MHPSS specialist, HMS, HR and Program advisor at ADRA Norge. Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2.
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:15 PM
Innovation plenary session: needs, challenges, gaps, & opportunities
Host: Mark van Ommeren - WHO
Info: This session will be a multisectoral panel conversation on innovation in MHPSS humanitarian settings, looking at the needs, challenges, gaps, and opportunities from different perspectives
The session will open with a keynote introduction by Mark van Ommeren from WHO, looking at the overarching framing, emerging trends in the sector in terms of innovation, and opportunities for further development/investment.
This plenary and panel conversation will be chaired by Karima Viksten Assel from Expert Coordinator in Mental Health Preparedness Centre for Health Crises and Karolinska Institute. Mark van Ommeren from WHO. Ida Oleanna Hagen is the Secretary General at FORUT. Dixon Chibanda is a Psychiatrist and the Founder of Friendship Bench Zimbabwe. TBC - from the Youth Mental Health Alliance. Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 og 2
🕑: 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Break and change rooms
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. Please remain in your assigned symposium for all sub-sessions.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Innovation symposium 1
Info: Innovation symposium 1 is divided into three sub-sessions highlighting locally led innovation from around the world. You will find more information about each sub-session below.
Auditorium PA124 - Group work room.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Sub-Session 1A: Locally led & low-threshold MHPSS innovation
Host: Helen Christie - former RBUP
Info: This is a session showcasing different locally led, low-threshold MHPSS innovations by different organizations. Focusing on the importance of integrating universal principles with cultural and contextual adaptation as a success factor for MHPSS innovations in war/conflict, resource-constrained and humanitarian settings.
All three organisations will show a short video from partners in the field who have implemented the innovative programs. Helen Christie is a Clinical Psychologist and former Director of RBUP. Heidi Westborg Steel is Director of International Child Development Programme Norway and Norwegian Network for Global Mental Health. Ragnhild Dybdahl is Senior Advisor for Global Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Elisabeth Langdal is the Executive Director of Mental Health and Human Rights Info (MHHRI). Bhagawati Shrestha is the head of Balika Peace Home in Nepal, a transit shelter for girls. Auditorium PA124 - Group work room
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Sub-Session 1B: AI as a tool to strengthen suicide risk detection & response
Host: Dina Farran - Embrace Lebanon
Info: This is a presentation on how artificial intelligence can be used to strengthen suicide risk detection and crisis response by Embrace. Sharing reflections and key learnings from a study on the use of AI in the National LifeLine service Embrace in Lebanon. A service offering free 1 hour psychotherapy or psychiatric consultations, and briefer sessions such as psychiatric follow-ups, nursing consultations and clinical-social interventions. Dina Farran is the Head of Research for Embrace in Lebanon and a Postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London.
Auditorium PA124 - Group work room.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Sub-Session 1C: Perspectives from Tanzania - a peer-to-peer hybrid approach
Host: Simon Ernest - KCMC
Info: This is a presentation about a locally-led, youth co-creation, peer to peer and hybrid innovation by Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMC). Sharing how they leveraged social media, digital storytelling, and mobile-based engagement with expert support from KCMC Hospital and Institute of Public Health (IPH) at KCMC University. Aiming to create low-cost, scalable platforms and a peer-to-peer hybrid approach that promotes help-seeking, normalizes conversations around mental health, and connects youth to available psychosocial services. Simon Ernest is a physiotherapist and researcher from Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMC) and the program Coordinator for the Red Ribbon Initiative in Tanzania.
Auditorium PA124 - Group work room
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Innovation symposium 2
Info: Innovation symposium 2: Collaborations for Accelerating Innovation. Divided into three sub-sessions. Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Sub-Session 2A: Classroom innovation - The Better Learning Program (BLP)
Host: Camilla Lodi – NRC
Info: This is a presentation on the Better Learning Program (BLP) now implemented across 35 countries, by the co-creators NRC and University of Tromsø. The session will showcase the impact of the programme on children, youth, and teachers, in terms of improved psychosocial wellbeing, enhanced classroom functioning, and strengthened teacher capacity. They will share lessons and concrete examples of partnership modalities to support pathways to scale, illustrating how this innovation is enabling effective and context-sensitive scale-up across diverse low-resource and humanitarian contexts. Camilla Lodi is the Global Psycho Social Support Head of Unit for the Better Learning Programme (BLP) at Norwegian Refugee Council.
Jon Håkon Schultz is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Tromsø.
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Sub-Session 2B: The Play and Heal programme - exploring healing concepts
Host: Johanna Cunningham - UNICEF
Info: This is a presentation on the Play and Heal programme by The LEGO Foundation, UNICEF, and Care for Education. This session will share how the programme enables facilitators and children to confidently use play to explore core healing concepts: Safety, Connection and Belonging, Expression, Control and Mastery, and Sense of Self. Sharing the methodology and reflections from the process of creating this programme, designing for pathways for local and national adoption from the outset, that is currently undergoing field testing in Turkiye, Lebanon and Gaza, localising MEAL tools, with a revised open-source version expected by mid-2026.
Johanna Cunningham is a MHPSS specialist supporting the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office. Riwa Maktabi is a MHPSS in Emergencies Consultant supporting the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office.
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Sub-Session 2C: How AI-enabled network intelligence opens pathways to scale
Host: Victor Soji Ladele - Future Innovation Labs LLC
Info: This is a presentation about MINDMAP AGORA. Developed collaboratively by Future Health Labs together with WHO Ukraine, the MHPSS TWG, Nigerian partners, and Nordic institutions, AGORA is a digital dashboard that provides a practical mechanism to reduce fragmentation, strengthen referral pathways, and improve cross-sector collaboration on MHPSS in fragile and humanitarian settings. The presentation will look into lessons learned from Ukraine and Nigeria pilots and reflect on how locally-governed, AI-enabled mapping can accelerate decision-making, donor alignment, and equitable coverage.
Victor Olusoji Ladele is a physician and the Founder and Managing Director of Future Health Innovation Labs. Sosunmolu Shoyinka Chief Medical Officer, at City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services.
Auditorium PA110 - Athene 2, Karen Grude Kohts auditorium - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Innovation symposium 3
Info: Integration and key learnings. Divided into two sub-sessions. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:20 PM
Sub-session 3A: An integrated care system approach on supporting wellbeing
Host: Anthony Guevara - War Child Holland
Info: This is a presentation on a multi-year effort to develop and evaluate an integrated care system supporting the wellbeing of children, youth, caregivers, and teachers affected by armed conflict. It is presented by War Child and they share their reflections, key learnings and insights from different contexts and perspectives. Anthony Guevara is a Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Researcher at War Child Holland. April Coetzee is a Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Researcher at War Child Holland. Myrthe van den Broek is anthropologist and Mental Health Researcher at War Child Holland. Alexandra Bleile is the Researcher and Project Manager for MHPSS and Global Mental Health at War Child Holland. Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium
🕑: 03:20 PM - 03:55 PM
Sub-session 3B: A pilot of systematic financial tracking of MHPSS
Host: Deepali Pavagadhi - Red barnet (DK)
Info: This is a presentation sharing the insights and key learnings from a Collaborative pilot of a methodology for systematic financial tracking of MHPSS at global and national levels. This initiative is a collaboration with the IASC MHPSS Reference Group and the MHPSS TWGs in West Bank and Gaza, and will be presented by WHO and Save The Children Denmark.
Deepali Pavagadhi is a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Research at Red Barnet in Denmark. Fahmy Hanna is a psychiatrist and a Technical Officer at WHO Department of Non Communicable diseases and Mental Health. Mark van Ommeren is the Head of the Mental Health Unit within the WHO Department of Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use
Auditorium PA128 - Lecture auditorium.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:15 PM
Break and change back to main auditorium
Info: A short 15 min break to change rooms from your assigned break out rooms to the main auditorium - check your session or consult volunteers for directions to the correct auditorium.
🕑: 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM
Closing plenary - Track 3 Summary and Panel conversation
Host: Rasmus Grue Christensen - Dignity
Info: This closing plenary will provide the summary reflections from track 3 - Innovation and a closing panel conversation looking at - Rooting action in leadership - A conversation about innovative funding between donors.
Closing with the Norwegian Network as the host of this conference handing over from Norway to next Nordic conference host.
Rasmus Grue Christensen is the CEO of the international human rights organization DIGNITY. Henriette Killi Westhrin is the CEO of Save the Children Norway. Peter Ventevogel is Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Specialist for Public Health Section of UNHCR. Ulrika Modéer is the Secretary General of the Swedish Red Cross. This conversation will be chaired by Gry Larsen and. Auditorium PA110-113 Athene 1 - 2.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Oslomet, 0890 Pilestredet Park, Oslo, Norway
NOK 0.00











