Excellencies, honourable ministers, distinguished delegates, Director-General, Ambassador Swing, ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to speak before this 106th IOM Council at its high-level panel on migration, human mobility, and global health.
Migration is a development issue, and an issue for global health. IOM is an implementing partner distinguished by its decentralized structure and strong staff presence in countries, well beyond capital cities.
IOM and WHO have a long history of cooperation on migration and health. Our recent partnership during the Ebola outbreak was deeply appreciated by the people of West Africa.
The hands-on care provided by your medical teams, and your contribution to training and preparedness, have made a life-and-death difference to many. High population mobility across exceptionally porous borders was one of many factors that drove disease spread and made the outbreak so complex and difficult to contain.
In 2010, WHO, IOM, and the Government of Spain jointly hosted a global consultation on migrant health. Even then, it was clear that policies and strategies for managing migrant health were not keeping pace with the challenges.
These challenges have now become a crisis with multiple political, foreign policy, financial, security, and health implications. The world is experiencing the largest population displacements seen since the end of the second World War. The scale of anti-migrant sentiment is equally unprecedented.
History tells us that migration is beneficial, bringing new ideas and an energetic and highly motivated workforce. This positive contribution has largely been forgotten.
What we are seeing is forced migration, caused by armed conflict and violent extremism. War-torn countries are emptying. Their neighbours are saturated. In Lebanon, refugees from the conflict in Syria represent 30% of the total population. In Jordan, the figure is 20%. Turkey is hosting more than 2.5 refugees.
This flood of desperate humanity has now reached Europe. The crisis is almost certain to be prolonged. With the prospects of peace so dire and so many cities laid waste, migrants wonder whether they will have a home left to return to.
In a world increasingly defined by vast inequalities in income levels and opportunities, migration is a fact of life. Most agree that the international community should do much more to address the root causes of forced displacement.
The new agenda for sustainable development recognizes migrants, refugees, and displaced persons as vulnerable groups and calls for full respect for their human rights. Pursuing the new goals and targets, including the one for universal health coverage, will address multiple economic, social, and environmental determinants of the well-being of people and the planet that sustains them.
However, the changes needed to reach the overarching objective of “peaceful and inclusive” societies will take time to implement. Given the unprecedented nature of recent events, we need immediate guidance.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me outline four urgent needs.
First, we need better data on health needs as a foundation for setting realistic priorities.
Many host countries lack the capacity and financing to deal with the health needs of their own citizens, much less those of migrants. Health information can provide a platform for aligning the efforts of other sectors and sources of international assistance.
Migrants travel with their health profiles, which mirror health conditions, diseases, and opportunities for care in their countries of origin. Threats to health can also arise during stressful travel, under crowded conditions with no guarantee of safe food and water.
Fortunately, most health risks potentially carried by migrants can be managed by a well-functioning health system. We see this happening in many recipient countries.
Second, policy and legal frameworks in recipient countries were not designed to cope with an influx of health needs on this scale.
Legal guidelines that guarantee access to health care and other social services support policies that aim to integrate migrants and benefit from their presence. Policies that keep migrants in camps and deal with their health needs through separate services will contribute to their marginalization.
Third, respect for the right to health requires migrant-sensitive health systems. This means services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate and pay attention to some unique health problems, including mental health disorders and trauma from injuries or torture.
Finally, collaborative networks and international dialogue are essential to manage a health crisis of this magnitude.
I am certain this high-level panel will showcase IOM’s leadership, and thank you for the opportunity to participate.