WHO: Addressing the health needs of refugees and migrants by 2030
January 5th, 2019Reports on situation analysis and practices in addressing the health needs of refugees and migrants
To achieve the vision of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, to leave no one behind, it is imperative that the health needs of refugees and migrants be adequately addressed. In its 140th session in January 2017, the Executive Board requested that its Secretariat develop a framework of priorities and guiding principles to promote the health of refugees and migrants. In May 2017, the World Health Assembly endorsed resolution 70.15 on Promoting the health of refugees and migrants. This resolution urges Member States to strengthen international cooperation regarding the health of refugees and migrants in line with the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. It urged Member States to consider providing the necessary health-related assistance through bilateral and international cooperation to those countries hosting and receiving large populations of refugees and migrants, as well as using the Framework of priorities and guiding principles at all levels. In addition, the resolution requested the Director-General to conduct a situation analysis and identify best practices, experiences and lessons learned in order to contribute to the development of a global action plan for the Seventy-second World Health Assembly in 2019.
In alignment with World Health Assembly resolution 70.15, WHO made an online global call from August 2017 to January 2018 for contributions on evidence-based information, best practices, experiences and lessons learned in addressing the health needs of refugees and migrants. Between August 2017 and January 2018, 199 submissions were received, covering 85 countries, from 52 Member States and partners such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The submissions included valuable information on the current situation of refugees and migrants, health challenges associated with migration and forced displacement, past and ongoing practices and interventions in promoting the health of refugees and migrants, legal frameworks in place for addressing the health needs of this population, lessons learned and recommendations for the future.