Objective
In the context of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda and also WHO’s triple billion goals focused on maximizing country impact as well as coordinated global leadership, a Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use (STAG-MNS) has been established to advise the WHO Director-General on matters relating to mental health, neurological disorders, substance use and addictive behaviours. The STAG-MNS will support WHO’s leading role in advancing SDG 2030 health-related targets, especially targets 3.4 and 3.5 focused on promoting mental health and wellbeing and strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.
Functions
In its advisory capacity to the Director-General, the STAG-MNS will fulfill the following functions related to mental health, brain health, substance use and addictive behaviours:
- To identify and describe current and future challenges;
- To advise WHO on strategic directions to be prioritized;
- To advise WHO on the development of global strategic documents; and
- To propose other strategic interventions and activities for implementation by WHO.
Composition
The STAG-MNS is designed to be multidisciplinary, with members spanning a range of technical knowledge, skills and experience relevant to mental health, brain health and neurology and substance use. Accordingly, expressions of interest were sought from individuals with substantial, high-level expertise and experience (including those with lived experience of an MNS condition) in the following areas: Strategic direction, intersectoral coordination and programme management of public health aspects of MNS services at national level (policy, planning and leadership); Innovation in and/or integration of MNS service delivery and organization at the programmatic or sectoral level; Comparative epidemiology of MNS conditions (trends, future projections); Measurement, monitoring and surveillance of MNS service outputs and outcomes; Strategic advocacy, partnership promotion and making the case for MNS conditions; Ethics, equity, human rights and gender in the context of MNS health services. The final set of twenty selected STAG-MNS members are listed below, who serve in their personal capacities and have been appointed for a period of two years.
Safeguarding WHO against conflicts of interests
STAG-MNS members must respect the impartiality and independence required of WHO. In performing their work, members may not seek or accept instructions from any Government or from any authority external to the Organization. They must be free of any real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, the members have completed a declaration of interests form and their appointment has been subject to the evaluation of completed forms by the WHO Secretariat, determining that their participation will not give rise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest. STAG-MNS members have an ongoing obligation to inform the WHO of any interests real or perceived that may give raise to a real, potential or apparent conflict of interest, and WHO may request STAG-MNS members to complete a new declaration of interest form.
Members
Project leader, South African Federation of Mental Health, South Africa
Professor of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience UK
Professor of Psychiatry and Director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, India
Honorary Professor, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town South Africa
Professor of Psychiatry and Suicide Prevention, National University of Malaysia, Malaysia
Professor of Psychiatry Bhutan
Professor, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Australia
Head, National Mental Health Programme, Ministry of Health, Lebanon
Advocate and Consultant Mental health Georgia
Professor of Pediatric Neurology University of Cape Town South Africa
Winifred Mercer Pitkin Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director and CEO, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Public mental health specialist, Zimbabwe
Lead, Country Mental Health Program, The Carter Center, Liberia
Director, Centre for Global Mental Health Research National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) USA
Professor of Psychiatry
Head, Child Neurology Department,Tunisia
Director, Opening Minds Mental Health First Aid Canada Canada
Department of Psychiatry Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo Brazil
Professor of Psychiatry
Related documents
Related team
Related health topics
Publications
