20 July 2020- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Vice-presidency of Costa Rica organized a high-level dialogue on “Mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: a priority for women's human rights".
The activity was attended by the Director of PAHO/WHO, Dr. Carissa Etienne; the First Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell; the highest authority on gender and Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States (OAS), Alejandra Mora; the Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean of UN-Women, Maria Noel Vaeza; the Regional Advisor on Mental Health for Central America, the Latin Caribbean and Mexico of PAHO/WHO, Carmen Martinez; the Manager and Founder of the RENOVAR Mental Health Clinics of Colombia, Rosario Lozano. The space was moderated by the Ambassador Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the OAS, Montserrat Solano.
Emerging evidence on the impact of COVID-19 suggests that women will be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, economically, and in terms of their health and burden of family responsibilities. Unemployment, poverty, greater demands at home, and increased exposure to violence, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic are psychological stressors, which increase women’s risk of suffering from mental health problems and compromise their mental and overall wellbeing. To address this, countries must integrate women and their needs into all COVID-19 response efforts, including the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) response to COVID-19 and ensure that women have access to health and social services, especially MHPSS during COVID-19.