Press opportunities and accreditation for the MHPSS conference

Conference programme overview

Minister Sigrid Kaag will open the conference on Monday 7 October. After a keynote by Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, people with lived experience will tell their stories about the mental impact of conflict, violence and natural disasters. Later on, experts and policymakers will discuss approaches and interventions.

On Tuesday 8 October, the high-level part will start with a keynote by Minister Kaag, followed by a keynote by Sir Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), will also address the conference.

Later that afternoon, participants in the panel discussion, which is to be led by former CNN anchor Fionnuala Sweeney, will include:

• Princess Mabel van Oranje (chair of Girls Not Brides and VOW – to End Child Marriage);
• Elhadj As Sy (Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent);
• Heba Alibrahim (Syrian refugee and psychology student at VU Amsterdam).

Michaela DePrince, soloist at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet, will speak about her personal experiences. Aeham Ahmad, ‘the pianist of Yarmouk,’ will give a musical performance.

After an introductory statement by Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management (ECHO), commitments announced by ministers from various countries will conclude the two-day conference.

Read more about the programme and the speakers.

Press opportunities at the MHPSS conference

Plenary sessions on Monday morning, 7 October, and Tuesday afternoon, 8 October, are accessible for media representatives. You can also follow these sessions via a live stream (check back regularly for updates).

The conference provides for official photo opportunities:

1. at the openings of the plenary sessions;
2. at the arrival of the high-level delegations on Tuesday afternoon, 8 October;
3. at the arrival of Her Majesty Queen Máxima on Tuesday afternoon, 8 October.

There are several opportunities for interviewing speakers and attendees. For interview requests, please email your name, media outlet and job title to nienke.toren@minbuza.nl.

On both conference days, various national and international organisations will present their MHPSS activities to conference attendees in a ‘connect & exchange’ environment.

MHPSS conference dates and venue

Monday 7 October and Tuesday 8 October 2019 at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.

Accreditation

As a media representative, you must register for accreditation before Thursday 3 October at the latest in order to attend the conference.

You will receive a press programme with more detailed information once accreditation has closed.

Press briefing on 8 October

Minister Kaag will give a press briefing on Tuesday morning, 8 October. We will inform you about the exact time and venue.

For more information, please contact:

Nienke Toren
Communications Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
nienke.toren@minbuza.nl
+31 6 46 85 40 95