Webinar series: introducing the WHO Mosaic toolkit to end stigma and discrimination in the Eastern Partnership countries

Event highlights

In November and December, WHO/Europe – together with WHO country offices in Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, and experts with lived experience of mental health conditions – will host a series of webinars in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to introduce the “WHO Mosaic toolkit to end stigma and discrimination in mental health”.

This series comes as part of the European Union-funded project “Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership”, a multi-year partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG-ENEST) to support health system resilience in the countries of the Eastern Partnership. The project includes activities that strengthen mental health systems and promote understanding and respect for people experiencing mental health challenges.

Across the WHO European Region, 1 in 6 people lives with a mental health condition. Yet stigma and discrimination continue to prevent many from accessing quality care and living the lives they want.

Launched globally in 2024, the Mosaic toolkit provides practical, evidence-based guidance to reduce stigma and discrimination, grounded in 3 core principles:

1. leadership by people with lived experience
2. meaningful social contact and dialogue
3. inclusive partnerships.
   

Co-produced with experts with lived experience, these webinars are an important first step in supporting Eastern Partnership countries to apply the toolkit within their own national and local contexts. Insights gathered will help shape upcoming in-person workshops aimed at developing evidence-based anti-stigma and anti-discrimination activities.

These efforts go beyond strategy – they represent a shift toward ensuring that people with lived experience are recognized as essential partners and experts in building recovery-oriented, person-centred and human-rights-based mental health systems.

In Armenia, the first webinar was held in July this year, and an in-person workshop will follow in December.