Collaboration between Zurich and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) poised to impact mental health significantly

Collaboration between Zurich and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) poised to impact mental health significantly

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Z Zurich Foundation have joined forces in a multi-year collaboration to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in emergencies. This partnership aims to put invisible needs front and center and advance the ICRC’s emergency MHPSS work.

Olivier Ray, Director of Movement, Mobilization and Partnerships at the ICRC, emphasized the importance of mental health in humanitarian response, stating that it is a cornerstone. He believes that this collaboration better equips the ICRC to ensure mental health support reaches those most in need.

The collaboration aims to:

1. Advance the ICRC’s emergency MHPSS work by integrating mental health considerations directly into humanitarian responses.
2. Develop practical, scalable, and multilingual tools and resources to improve care for populations affected by conflict and crisis.
3. Enhance the capacity of frontline responders and decision-makers, fostering systemic change toward better mental health response in emergencies.
4. Support activities that reduce psychological distress, build resilience, and aid recovery for people impacted by armed conflict, violence, and displacement.
5. Provide practical guidance ensuring MHPSS is effectively embedded in emergency response measures across diverse contexts.
6. Promote sustainable impact and resilience through capacity building initiatives.

The collaboration between Zurich Insurance Group's health and wellbeing business, LiveWell by Zurich, and Polar Electro utilizes wearable technology. This partnership will allow customers of both companies to access services to help reach their wellbeing goals.

In a separate development, Zurich Resilience Solutions, a commercial risk advisory and services unit of Zurich Insurance Group, has formed a strategic collaboration with KPMG Switzerland. This collaboration aims to offer advisory services to address physical and transition risks associated with climate change.

Notably, customers of Zurich UK who make a flood claim are entitled to five counselling sessions. This offering is initially available in Switzerland. The support from the Z Zurich Foundation will contribute to developing practical guidance for integrating MHPSS activities into emergency measures across diverse contexts.

This collaboration is a significant step towards ensuring that mental health support remains a critical and accessible component of humanitarian response. By working together, the ICRC and Z Zurich Foundation aim to drive sustainable impact and resilience through capacity building and improve care for populations affected by conflict and crisis.

[1] ICRC press release: [Insert Link] [2] Z Zurich Foundation press release: [Insert Link]

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