Representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia participated in the “Research Carnival” which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 11, 12 and 13, 2023. The organizer of the Carnival was the Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

This is the fourth year that this Carnival has been held, and its goal is the exchange of experiences in the field of research work within the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, as well as the forging of partnerships with representatives of scientific institutions, all with the aim of improving services and ensuring access to human rights. An important aspect of this meeting is to draw attention to the fact that mental health is an important part of health.

The participants of the Carnival were representatives of the World Health Organization, Trinity University, University of Copenhagen, Johns Hopkins University, Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support, Research Institute from Finland, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Committee of the Red Cross, Kenyan Red Cross, Japanese Red Cross, Iranian Red Crescent, Danish Red Cross, Ukrainian Red Cross, American Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, British Red Cross and Red Cross of Serbia who presented their research projects and papers.

As part of the Carnival program, Rebecca Horn presented the results of her research that she conducted with the National Societies, which aimed to collect results on programmes and projects in the field of mental health. During data collection, she singled out examples of good practice. Among the examples of good practice, the Red Cross of Serbia was presented three times, and Carnival participants were able to learn about research that they can also do in their countries. The following Red Cross of Serbia Research was presented: “Access to long-term care services in the Western Balkans”, “Prevention of violence against older women in the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine” and “Mental health of informal caregivers”. In addition to these three examples, the organizers expressed their desire to receive information about other research of the Red Cross of Serbia, such as Intergenerational Cooperation and Mental Health of Migrants.

The Red Cross of Serbia has become recognizable in this area, combining research based on the results of which activities are designed to support, help and improve the position of different categories of the population.