Taskeen’s advocacy activities are centered around achieving the goal of establishing the importance of mental health at par with physical health among the key stakeholders in the country, lobbying the government to sufficiently address mental health in the national healthcare policy and allocate substantial funds for it. The objectives of the program are:
- To establish a mental health coalition including key civil society stakeholders and develop a consensus on a mental health national action plan.
- To conduct research to gather relevant data that will be used to inform the national action plan.
- To lobby state stakeholders to bring about change in mental health policy and allocate substantial resources towards mental health.
In order to achieve this, Taskeen has forged partnerships at local, regional and global levels, and functions as the secretariat of both the Pakistan Mental Health Coalition and the South Asian Union for Mental Health in addition to representing Pakistan in the Global Speak Your Mind Initiative.
As part of the advocacy campaign, Taskeen has commissioned several studies, including research on the mental health landscape in Pakistan and on the mental health impacts of COVID on underprivileged communities.