Publications Search

Bridging the gap: Using CHNRI to align migration health research priorities in India with local expertise and global perspectives

Background: Migration and health are increasingly recognised as a global public health priority, but concerns have been raised on the skewed nature of current research and the potential disconnect between health needs and policy and governance responses. The Migration Health South Asia (MiHSA) network led the first systematic research priority-setting exercise for India, aligned with the global call to develop a clearly defined migration health research agenda that will inform…

Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants: Risk and protective factors and access to care

This is the fifth report of the Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) series. The publication focuses on the mental health needs of refugees and migrants by providing an overview of the available evidence on patterns of risk and protective factors and of facilitators and barriers to care at all levels (individual, family, community and national government). It identifies five high-level themes, each of which has implications for research and policy and is relevant across…

Defining indicators for disease burden, clinical outcomes, policies, and barriers to health services for migrant populations in the Middle East and North African region: a suite of systematic reviews

Introduction: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is characterised by high and complex migration flows, yet little is known about the health of migrant populations, their levels of under-immunisation, and access to healthcare provision. Data are needed to support regional elimination and control targets for key diseases and the design and delivery of programmes to improve health outcomes in these groups. This protocol describes a suite of seven systematic reviews that aim to…

An Analysis of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policies in Relation to Migrants, Sex Workers, and Young and Vulnerable People in Migration‑affected Communities in South Africa

Globally and in South Africa, IOM migration health programming seeks to promote the inclusion of migrants in laws, policies, and programmes at the global, regional, and national levels. Addressing incoherencies in health and non-health policies could reduce the exclusion of vulnerable migrants in services and programmes.

This report highlights findings and recommendations of the policy analysis research that was commissioned by IOM to investigate the degree of coherence among various…

Managing the Paradox of Conflictual Policy and Strategy Regarding Health of Irregular Migrants: Perspective From Europe and Africa

Irregular migrants belong to the most vulnerable migrant groups. Health threats associated with an irregular status are high, and access to health services is severely restricted globally. Concerning migration aspects, a common public narrative for Europe and Africa is that Africa is sending thousands of migrants to embark on an irregular life-threatening journey of migration to Europe every year. Although this is a well documented reality, it is by far not the most important migration…

Migration Health 2022 Impact Overview

This report is an annual overview of activities led and implemented by the Migration Health Division of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 2022, in close collaboration with Member States, other United Nations agencies, and partners, to respond to major health needs in the context of human mobility, meet operational challenges and advance understanding of migration health, encourage socioeconomic development through migration, and work towards ensuring respect of the human…

Report on refugee health: assessment of the Bulgarian health system’s needs within the context of the crisis in Ukraine

Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis on 24 February 2022, WHO has supported Government-led efforts and initiatives alongside key partners on the ground. Building on efforts to date, and working alongside Bulgaria’s health authorities to bring added value to existing mechanisms, the WHO Country Office Bulgaria, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the WHO Health and Migration Programme, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria and key partners, undertook a joint…

Promoting the health of refugees and migrants: experiences from around the world

This publication is a compendium of 49 country examples highlighting efforts in improving refugees’ and migrants’ health following the adoption of the WHO Global Action Plan on Promoting the health of refugees and migrants at the seventy-second World Health Assembly, in May 2019.

Produced by the WHO Health and Migration Programme based on voluntary submissions from Member States and partners, the report showcases how different countries – with varying health systems and different…

Universal Health Coverage - Leave No Migrant Behind

The realization of universal health coverage (UHC), one that leaves no migrant behind, requires innovative, evidence-based policies and sustainable financial mechanisms that emphasize whole-of society and whole-of-government actions, and involve migrants, including health workers, as co-developers of health services. Being and staying healthy is a fundamental precondition for migrants to be productive and contribute to the social and economic development of communities of origin and…

Access to Information and Health care Services for Vietnamese Migrant Workers Overseas During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global mobility deadlock with nearly all international borders closed for non-essential travel, left migrants in countries of destination acutely vulnerable with risks to health, as well as socioeconomic and social security status, compounded by diverging measures and impacts on mobility.…