18 December 2024
On 18 December, WHO/Europe marks International Migrants Day by joining the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in its call to help people find safety and opportunity by supporting their access to health services at every step of their migration journey. International Migrants Day is marked each year to advocate for migrants’ rights, including their right to health.
Migration is normal; humanity has always been on the move for different reasons and through different routes.
Through the ages, people have taken steps to find a better life for themselves and their families, and the same remains true today. Of all the 6 WHO regions, the European Region – encompassing 53 Member States across Europe and central Asia – hosts the largest share of people living outside their country of origin, with an estimated 86.7 million international migrants out of a global total of 281 million. 1 in 8 people in the Region is a refugee or migrant.
Migrants are not “just migrants”; they are, among other professions, doctors, nurses and health-care workers more widely.
In many countries of the European Region, migrants make up a significant portion of the health sector. An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assessment of the role of migrant workers across 31 European countries in 2020 found that 23% of doctors and 14% of nurses were foreign-born. In cities such as London and Brussels, around half of all doctors and nurses are migrants.
Migrants have the right to health at every step of their migration journey.
Migration has always been a vital and enriching part of societies, contributing to the strength and resilience of populations and fostering a well-being-centred economy for all. To realize this potential, however, migrants’ right to health must be safeguarded.
“A thriving society can only be built when both host communities and migrants have access to good physical and mental health. By supporting safe and regular migration pathways and ensuring continuous access to health-care throughout their journey, we can create opportunities for migrants, better protect their rights, and contribute to greater prosperity and universal health coverage in both the countries migrants come from and those that host them,” said Kristina Mauer-Stender, acting Director of Country Support and Partnerships, WHO/Europe.
The regional action plan – ensuring migrants’ right to health is met
Many governments and partners worldwide are working within and across countries to adopt strategies, policies and plans to address migration-related challenges and improve migrant’s health and well-being.
In October 2023, the Action Plan for Refugee and Migrant Health in the WHO European Region 2023–2030 was adopted at the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in Kazakhstan.
The Action Plan identifies 5 strategic priorities (action pillars):
- ensure refugees and migrants benefit from universal health coverage;
- implement inclusive emergency and disaster risk reduction policies and actions;
- develop inclusive environments that promote public health, social inclusion and well-being;
- strengthen migration health governance and evidence- and data-driven policy-making; and
- explore innovative ways of working and developing enabling partnerships.
The first progress evaluation for the Action Plan will be conducted in 2025.
WHO/Europe also engages in tripartite collaboration with the WHO regional offices for Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean to better strategize on and coordinate equitable access to health care across migration routes straddling all 3 regions.
WHO’s work
WHO globally, including in the European Region, assists countries in reorienting health systems towards including refugees and migrants in primary health care as a foundation of universal health coverage. This involves:
- providing inclusive and integrated health services to meet people’s health needs throughout their lives;
- addressing the root causes behind poor health outcomes, including critical non-medical factors, such as education, income, employment and working conditions, and social support networks – through policy and action that go beyond the health sector; and
- empowering individuals, families and communities to take charge of their health.
WHO supports Member States by setting norms and standards on the health of refugees and migrants, co-developing guidance and tools, and promoting global, regional and national research agendas for evidence-informed policy-making and interventions.
The Global Research Agenda on Health, Migration and Displacement, led by WHO’s Department of Health and Migration, in 2023 set out research themes to be addressed by 2028. It aims to strengthen global collaboration around health and migration research and improve the translation of knowledge into policy and practice, driving evidence-informed research that addresses the evolving challenges and health needs of refugees and migrants.