A two-day intense dialogue “Towards a New Mental Health Policy and Human Rights based treatment” took place in Belgrade, on 08-09 June 2018. More than fifty psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, lawyers, patients and their family members, gathered to discuss intricacies of mental health policy through democratic debate which touched upon legislative solutions, best practices and operational issues.

The conference was organised jointly by the Council of Europe (CoE), within the project "Enhancing Human Rights Protection for Detained and Sentenced Persons in Serbia”, implemented within the joint EU and CoE programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey” and the International Aid Network (IAN) Belgrade office and the Trieste Health Centre within the EQUAL project - funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region - L.R. 19/2000 – Italy.

The event is was one of several actions of the Council of Europe and European Union within the Horizontal Facility programme supporting Serbian authorities on their path towards EU accession. Public debate is an essential prerequisite for democracy and thus strongly supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, and the Council of Europe. The conference contributed to policy dialogue and a choice of strategic options in the wake of the Ministry of Health's decision to draft the new Mental Health Strategy. Thanks to its overarching, tailor-made support and reliance on benchmark national priorities reflected in national policy papers (Chapters 23 and 24 APs and as of recently Chapters 19 and 28) the joint European Union, Council of Europe Action generated greater beneficiaries’ responsiveness and led to changes at different levels.

This is one of many added values of EU financial support to Serbia.

More details on this event can be found here.