Within its Migration Health Division (MHD), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) delivers and promotes comprehensive, preventive and curative health programmes which are beneficial, accessible, and equitable for migrants and mobile populations. Bridging the needs of both migrants and IOM’s member states, MHD contributes towards the physical, mental and social well-being of migrants, enabling them and host communities to achieve social and economic development.

The Bulletin features recent publications stemming from IOM’s health-related programming globally – for instance, the migration health assessment programme and the mental health and psychosocial support program (MHPSS). Further, this issue showcases a number of publications and forums pertaining to COVID-19 at the nexus of research, health policy, and public health practice.

This overview showcases only some of the key activities implemented in 2019 across the world, in lower-income settings and in complex emergencies, along the world’s most perilous migration routes, in the aftermath of natural disasters, or in response to disease outbreaks. 

Health literacy in health care is crucial to achieving a reduction in child mortality, improving maternal health, combating infectious diseases, and improving health outcomes. However, refugees and migrants may have lower health literacy than the host community, most often due to poor access to educational resources and information programmes, and related to economic, social, and language barriers. Refugees may also have difficulty interacting with health information due to low literacy levels and cultural and language challenges.

IOM assists crisis-affected populations, governments, and host communities to strengthen and re-establish primary health-care systems. As a formal partner of the World Health Organization (WHO), and as a member of the Strategic Advisory Group of the InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC) Global Health Cluster, and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), IOM is a key player in responding to humanitarian and public health emergencies, as well as supporting health system recovery and resilience.

IOM works in collaboration with national governments and other stakeholders on programs that promote effective management of health worker migration, health systems capacity building in source countries and skill/knowledge transfer from the diaspora. Here are four examples of such projects that IOM has led and/ or contributed to, with the overarching objective of contributing to strengthen health systems around the world.

Migration is a social determinant of health. Throughout the migration process, migrants are exposed to a unique set of sociocultural, economic and environmental factors that may increase their risk of exposure to negative health outcomes, including communicable and non-communicable diseases. Migrants and mobile populations can face many obstacles in accessing essential health care services due to several factors including irregular immigration status, language barriers, discrimination, a lack of migrant-inclusive health policies and lack of affordable health services.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) features health as a cross-cutting priority with references to health and healthcare access in several objectives.

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development puts people at the center of all actions, particularly the most marginalized and disempowered, for the realization of societies that are more equitable and inclusive. It also acknowledges that migration carries a development potential, owing to migrants’ intellectual, cultural, human and financial capital, and their active participation in society. Being and staying healthy is a fundamental precondition for migrants to work, be productive, and contribute to the social and economic development of communities of origin and destination.

Within its Migration Health Division (MHD), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) delivers and promotes comprehensive, preventive and curative health programmes which are beneficial, accessible, and equitable for migrants and mobile populations. Bridging the needs of both migrants and IOM’s member states, MHD contributes towards the physical, mental and social well-being of migrants, enabling them and host communities to achieve social and economic development.