Dashboard on Global Experiences in Promoting Refugee and Migrant Health
More people are on the move now than ever before, with approximately one in eight individuals globally being migrants or forcibly displaced. Although they are not inherently less healthy than host populations, millions of these individuals face poorer health outcomes due to substandard living and working conditions. Ensuring their right to timely, affordable and dignified health care is essential for achieving health for all.
Today, an estimated 1 billion people in the world are on the move within their countries or across borders. Refugees and migrants move driven by conflict, climate-related disasters, famine and other emergencies in the hope of a better life for themselves and their families. Their quest for safety and prosperity is often coupled with significant health challenges and exacerbated by inadequate access to health-care services in transit or at their destination. However, countries are making progress in addressing the unmet health needs of migrants and refugees worldwide.
This dashboard illustrates the positive steps taken by countries all over the world towards better health outcomes for the 1 billion people on the move. Based on voluntary submissions by governments and partners, the dashboard showcases how countries with varying health systems and challenges have implemented policies in line with the WHO Global Action Plan (WHO GAP) on promoting the health of refugees and migrants 2019-2030.
Dashboard
Learn more about the global efforts to promote the health of refugees and migrants by navigating our interactive dashboard showcasing case studies.
About the platform
This platform shares global case studies on promoting and protecting refugee and migrant health. By systematizing real-life experiences, it guides policy development, public health interventions and health initiatives.
This platform ultimately aims at being a valuable resource for promoting health equity and improving the health outcomes of refugees and migrants worldwide.
As a comprehensive repository, it serves health workers, decision-makers, academicians and other stakeholders. It helps to inform the formulation of plans, programmes and interventions that inclusively address refugee and migrant health needs. It also supports specialists in health financing, gender, insurance, statistics, monitoring, advocacy, consulting and civil society organizations.
Featuring actions by academicians, NGOs, UN agencies, researchers, health authorities and local institutions, the platform collectively promotes and protects refugee and migrant health worldwide.
Global Action Plan to promote the health of refugees and migrants
Endorsed at the 2019 World Health Assembly and extended to 2030, this Global Action Plan (GAP) focuses on six priorities:
- Priority 1. Promote the health of refugees and migrants through a mix of short and long-term public health interventions.
- Priority 2. Promote continuity and quality of essential health care, while developing, reinforcing and implementing occupational health and safety measures.
- Priority 3. Advocate the mainstreaming of refugee and migrant health into global, regional and country agendas and the promotion of refugee-sensitive and migrant-sensitive health policies and legal and social protection; the health and well-being of refugee and migrant women, children and adolescents; gender equality and empowerment of refugee and migrant women and girls; and partnerships and inter- sectoral, inter-country and interagency coordination and collaboration mechanisms.
- Priority 4. Enhance capacity to tackle the social determinants of health and accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including universal health coverage.
- Priority 5. Strengthen health monitoring and health information systems.
- Priority 6. Support measures to improve evidence-based health communication and to counter misperceptions about refugee and migrant health.
Case studies collection and selection, 2022 and 2023
WHO Member States were invited to submit case studies in 2022 and 2023, focusing on projects involving government participation since the 2019 GAP adoption. Data were collected via online questionnaires, with additional information requested as was needed.
- 2022 call: 72 project examples were received and 49 were selected.
- 2023 call: 138 project examples were received, and 91 were selected.
Projects were evaluated based on their alignment with WHO GAP priorities using a coding framework. Selection criteria included:
- representation of all six WHO regions
- demonstration of specific policies/programmes/interventions
- evidence of inter-sectoral collaboration
- sustainability or potential for scale-up.
Future open call: Stay updated on opportunities to share your practices by revisiting this page.