Migration has all the time been part of human historical past, with folks transferring for varied causes. This phenomenon continues to form our world as extra people search higher alternatives and escape conflicts, violence, local weather change, and environmental degradation.

On 18 December, WHO will be part of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with world companions and communities, in observing International Migrants Day. This worldwide occasion not solely celebrates migrants but additionally serves as a catalyst for advocating their rights and uniting the worldwide group in harnessing the transformative energy of migration.

Migrants convey a mess of abilities that may profit and enrich host international locations and communities. They can function brokers of change, creating alternatives for progress and contributing to social and financial development. Their contributions to the well being and well-being of the society they dwell in are invaluable. For occasion, migrant well being staff had been indispensable to the frontline response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, many international locations are more and more counting on migrant staff of their well being care programs.

To unleash the complete potential of migration as an answer to world challenges, it’s critical to prioritize the bodily and psychological well being and well-being of migrants. WHO advocates for particular actions to realize this:

• Reorient well being programs into built-in and inclusive well being providers and programmes for migrants, according to the rules of major well being care and common well being protection, preserving folks wholesome in all life levels, not solely when they’re sick.
• Address the foundation causes that will have an effect on the well-being of migrants, together with social determinants of well being, akin to poor housing and dealing situations, lack of schooling, insufficient entry to wash water and sanitation, meals insecurity, and vulnerability to violence.
• Invest in complete knowledge assortment and monitor well being determinants, standing and outcomes of migrants to evaluate accountability for progress in the direction of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and different objectives and world targets.  
• Promote high-quality world analysis, strengthen information manufacturing, and construct analysis capability to know and handle the well being wants of migrants and form responsive insurance policies and practices worldwide.
• Remove obstacles to common well being protection (UHC), together with discrimination, cultural and language components, and unaffordable prices, making certain that migrants, together with these in irregular conditions, obtain authorized and social safety by way of nationwide well being programs and insurance coverage schemes.
• Include migrants in nationwide public well being methods, together with preparedness and response, as equitable and applicable well being providers for all migrants yield optimistic outcomes for the society as a complete.
• Address the scarcity or lack of well being professionals, providers, and programmes that may cater to the cultural and linguistic wants of migrants, akin to coaching competent well being care professionals who can present culturally delicate care.
• Build sustainable, consultative constructions and mechanisms that optimize migrants’ involvement in well being tasks.

WHO’s work

Through its Department of Health and Migration, WHO develops norms, requirements, steering, and instruments to strengthen international locations’ capability to offer inclusive and respectful well being providers that meet the cultural, non secular, and linguistic wants of refugees and migrants.

To facilitate the event and implementation of nationwide well being coverage methods and regional motion plans that reply to the well being wants of individuals on the transfer and scale up the implementation of the Global Action Plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, WHO additionally presents technical help, response, and capacity-building help.

Despite the challenges of gathering well being data for migrant populations, WHO is constructing a worldwide proof base on the well being standing of migrants and refugees and has set world analysis priorities to fill information gaps. Furthermore, WHO supplies evidence-based coverage concerns throughout varied well being areas, to deal with the particular wants of individuals on the transfer.

By taking instant motion to prioritize the well being of migrants, we are able to unlock the complete potential of migration and create a more healthy, safer, fairer world for all.

Join the Health for All Film Festival

In 2024, WHO will proceed to rejoice the ability of audiovisual storytelling for well being with all these serious about public well being narratives! The fifth Health for All Film Festival requires submissions from 1 November 2023 to 31 January 2024. This 12 months, there’s a Special Migrants and Refugees Health Film Prize.

We invite public well being establishments from all over the world, nongovernmental organizations, communities, activists and college students in public well being, movie colleges, and different related domains to submit their authentic quick movies that make clear the influence of migration and displacement on the bodily and psychological well being and well-being of individuals on the transfer. Short movies also can elevate consciousness on the rights and distinctive well being wants of those populations, and showcase how entry to well being take care of these populations contributes to their higher well being and well-being. Independent filmmakers, manufacturing firms, and TV broadcasters are additionally invited to take part.

For extra data on methods to apply, please go to www.who.int/film-festival. A multilingual social media equipment with visuals can also be accessible on the backside of the web page to additional promote this name and invite submissions of quick movies on migrants and refugees well being earlier than 31 January 2024!