Populations affected by emergencies frequently experience enormous suffering. Humanitarian actors are increasingly active to protect and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being during and after emergencies. A significant gap, however, has been the absence of a multisectoral, interagency framework that enables effective coordination, identifies useful practices, flags potentially harmful practices and clarifies how different approaches to mental health and psychosocial support complement one another. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings offer essential advice on how to facilitate an integrated approach. The IASC is a unique interagency forum for coordination, policy development and decision-making involving the key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners. Its guidelines, tools and documents reflect a very broad consensus within the humanitarian community and guide the work of many UN and non-UN humanitarian partners.
