On February 27, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) organized an event dedicated to the exchange of experiences and cooperation among stakeholders in the field of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).

Director of RS - Deputy Minister of IA Kamo Tsutsulyan, the UNICEF Deputy Representative in Armenia Silvia Mestroni, as well as representatives of interested departments attended the event.

The purpose was to strengthen and expand cooperation between mental health and psychosocial support actors, state structures and humanitarian organizations.

In his speech, Kamo Tsutsulyan highly appreciated the long-term cooperation between UNICEF and the Rescue Service, which was of strategic importance, particularly in terms of introducing institutional cooperation in social services. He also noted that effective support in the field of mental health was in the focus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

UNICEF Deputy Representative in Armenia Silvia Mestroni, referring to the emergencies that had occurred in Armenia in recent years, noted that they were a challenge to the collective response capacity, while emphasizing the need for cooperation in such situations. She also added that UNICEF's goal was to develop the capacities of personal in the fields of health, education, child protection and rescue services. 

The event featured panel discussions, which also addressed the toolkit developed for professionals providing psychological first aid, lessons learned from crisis situations and other issues related to the field.

The event was organized with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of “Strengthening the Social Protection System of Armenia” program.