MHE thanks Dainius Pūras Special Rapporteur on the right to health

The mandate of Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, is coming to an end. He has been Special Rapporteur since August 2014.

MHE would like to use this opportunity to express its gratitude for the Special Rapporteur’s work on mental health and his support to MHE’s work. Mr Pūras’ relentless, courageous and ground-breaking commitment to promoting a human rights-based approach to mental health has been instrumental for progress in this field.

The last report of his mandate will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Friday 3^rd July 2020 at 12:15. Tune in via this livestream to learn more about his findings. The report emphasises once more that despite promising trends, a global failure remains to move beyond the biomedical understanding of mental health. The report addresses the harms of over-medicalisation and sets out alternative models of MH services.

MHE has a longstanding tradition of promoting a human rights-based approach to mental health, as recognised by the Special Rapporteur in his report (see paragraph 12).  Such approach includes community-based services free of coercion and peer support, as well as recognising people with lived experience as main experts.  We will continue our work along these lines and hope to continue collaborating with Mr. Pūras in the future to make human rights a reality for all.