The integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) approaches and peacebuilding is an emerging field, which is still being conceptualized by practitioners, academics, and funding agencies. Mainstreaming MHPSS into peacebuilding frameworks enables peace efforts to be inclusive and multidimensional in transforming societies and ending social suffering, particularly among victims, perpetrators, and their family members. In the recent years, numerous MHPSS initiatives active in communities affected by violent conflict have worked hard to enrich their activities by integrating peacebuilding aspects into that practice. These initiatives contribute to the rebuilding of damaged capacities and promote healing, coping with stress, resilience, social learning, and collaboration as well as community empowerment, which are all key to peacebuilding at the community level.

The conference will explore the contribution of the CBS approach, as one of the integrated MHPSS and peacebuilding approaches, implemented on individual, interpersonal, family and community level against the backdrop of local and international developments in the field.