Health is a human right; it is inherited in all human beings regardless of their country of origin or country they are transiting or residing in. Yet, entry policies, access to health services, integration in the host community, as well as living, working, environmental and traveling conditions are among the factors that may influence the health outcomes of people on the move. To improve the health status of these populations, by addressing the public health dimensions of migration, the world has agreed on several key instruments, including the Global Action Plan (GAP) 2019-2023 “Promoting the health of refugees and migrants”, the World Health Assembly resolution WHA70.15, the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
In line with the existing global policy framework on refugee and migrant health, on 17-18 March 2022, the WHO Regional Office for Europe organized a high-level meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, bringing together ministers, refugees and migrants, senior-level policy-makers, partner organizations including civil society organizations (CSOs), and countries of origin and transit from the WHO African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, as well as the WHO Regional Directors from these regions. The meeting aimed to agree on the priorities and parameters for future collaboration on the health of refugees and migrants in the European Region, reaffirm commitments of the WHO Global Action Plan 2019-2023; further promote inter- and intraregional actions; and strengthen critical partnerships.
In the European Region, WHO is closely working with countries providing technical assistance, support for policy development, as well as health information, research and training. In the African Region, WHO already works with country offices and partners to strengthen Member States’ capacity to integrate and respond to refugee and migrant health needs. It also works to promote refugees, migrants and people on move throughout its region in close collaboration with the Africa Union (AU), the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and relevant partners including and not limited to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, WHO prepared the draft refugee and migrant health strategy for the Region with national and regional experts to advocate for international cooperation between Member States to promote the health and wellbeing of these populations in any given setting and throughout the routes of migration.
In his remarks at the meeting’s closing plenary, Dr Santino Severoni, Director of the WHO Health and Migration Programme, highlighted how this inter-regional initiative contributes to advancing the efforts for refugee and migrant health globally. Migration is a global phenomenon that requires local solutions, strong country ownership, as well as the development of regional migration health agendas to make a difference on the ground.
Building on the achievements and lessons learned from the current WHO EURO Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2022 soon to expire, the meeting identified five priority actions for health and migration beyond 2022: ensure that migrants and refugees have universal health coverage; implement inclusive health emergency policies; promote social inclusion and reduce inequalities between people; strengthen migration health governance and data gathering; support new partnerships and innovative ways of working. The priority actions identified are fully aligned with the Global Action Plan 2019-2023 and will feed into the discussions around the development of the GAP beyond 2023.
By the end of 2020, there were almost 281 million international migrants living outside their country of origin globally, with 101 million, 22 million and 47 million residing in the WHO European, African and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, respectively.
Currently, Europe is facing a humanitarian crisis, with over 3.5 million refugees having fled Ukraine as of 22 March 2022. But displacement and migration are not only limited to acute crises. 13% of the WHO European Region are international migrants with the Region hosting 36% of the global international migrant population. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is the origin and host to an increasing number of forcibly displaced people, mainly due to conflicts and economic disparities. Overall, 66% of the world’s refugees originate from the Region. Labour migration is another key feature of the Region. In 2020, 47.2 million people migrated across EMR border. Labour migration, refugee flows and internal displacement, are on the grow in Africa, both within and outside the Region. Over 31 million Africans live outside the country of their birth, the majority within the continent.
The impact of migration on the health of refugees and migrants depends on the ultimate access to people-centred culturally sensitive health systems designed to address in a continuous form the health needs of all populations. The high-level meeting laid the ground for the European Region together with neighboring regions and partners to review its strategy post-2022, fostering partnerships, strengthening collaboration along the migration routes, and contributing to the implementation of the overall Global Action Plan worldwide to promote the health of refugees and migrants and leave no one behind.