2.1.2 WHO supports countries in developing evidence-informed policies across sectors at all levels of government and adapts public health measures to meet the health needs of populations such as migrants and displaced people

WHO supports countries in developing evidence-informed policies across sectors at all levels of government and adapts public health measures to meet the health needs of populations such as migrants and displaced people

The global health goals cannot be achieved without addressing the health needs of the approximately 1 billion migrants and displaced populations worldwide. The increasing mobility of populations over the last decade underscores the urgency of this issue, which is likely to continue. 

WHO recognizes the critical importance of promoting the health and well-being of migrants, refugees and displaced populations. WHO's response is guided by the WHO global action plan for promoting the health of refugees and migrants, 2019–2030. This comprehensive plan allows WHO to lead the global discourse on health and migration and leverages its normative work, leadership, global reach and technical assistance to countries to improve the responsiveness of health systems and services to the needs of these mobile populations.

To address these challenges, WHO takes a comprehensive approach that considers both short-term and long-term health needs. This approach addresses the social determinants of health and their impact on migrants and advocates for inclusive health systems to achieve universal health coverage through a primary healthcare approach.

In terms of solutions, WHO’s technical assistance is focused on strengthening countries' health system capacities, including the health workforce, to respond to the specific health needs of refugees and migrants. Global advocacy efforts are also in place to promote the implementation of global targets through international dialogues and forums, such as the International Migration Review Forum to be held in 2026 and the Global Refugee Forum to be held in 2027.

Moving forward, WHO will continue its support for countries in developing national research agendas and action plans over the next four years. This will strengthen evidence-based policy-making and implementation to meet the health needs of the target populations. In addition, WHO will facilitate knowledge-sharing on good practices among policy, practice and academia.

Furthermore, the WHO monitoring framework of the global action plan for promoting the health of refugees and migrants, 2019–2030, will establish the first global monitoring baseline for refugee and migrant health. This baseline, along with the monitoring framework, will ensure that WHO can effectively monitor and report on progress throughout the 2026–2027 biennium and the period of the GPW 14 (2025–2028).