Presentation delivered by Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, at the Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly on 27 May 2016

1. Migration and health
in the European &
other regions
Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab
WHO Regional Director for Europe

2. A challenge or a shared global responsibility?
244 million international migrants worldwide, of whom 20 million are refugees
77 million international migrants in the WHO European Region: 8% of its population
• This is an unprecedented global situation.
• The European Region has seen:
o increasing arrivals since 2011
o over 1 million arrivals throughout 2015.
• Similar trends have occurred in other WHO regions: the
Eastern Mediterranean Region has hosted 4.2 million
refugees and has 19.7 million internally displaced people.
• Migration is a global reality, linked to both:
o long-term globalization and unequal developmental
patterns; and
o forced migration as a result of conflict and war.
• Many countries are well prepared but need urgent
coordinated responses to address the short- and long-
term implications.

3. WHO Regional Office for Europe migration
health programme
• The Public Health Aspects of Migration in Europe
(PHAME) project was established in 2012 with financial
support from Italy.
• Its aim is to assist Member States to:
o respond to public health challenges emerging from
migration; and
o protect the health of refugees, migrants and host
population.
• It has four main activity areas:
o technical assistance to countries
o collection of health information and evidence
o policy development
o advocacy and communication activities.
• Mid-2015 the Task Force on Migration and Health was
established to scale up technical assistance to countries.

4.  A concerted and coordinated response, based on the
principles of solidarity and humanity
 Essential for population health and for acknowledgement
of the human right to health for all
 Interventions needed as short-term measures and for the
long-term, with a focus on the most vulnerable
Rome High-level Meeting on Refugee and Migrant
Health and outcome document
 Strengthening national, international and intersectoral collaboration
 Bridges of collaboration between the European, African and Eastern Mediterranean WHO regions
 Cooperation among United Nations agencies and international organizations

5. Towards a European strategy and action plan
• European strategy and action plan for refugee and
migrant health considered by the European Regional
Committee in September 2016
• Background: WHA61.17, Health 2020 and the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the
Rome outcome document
• Consultation with all United Nations agencies and other
international organizations
• WHO European and Eastern Mediterranean inter-
regional technical meeting to strengthen collaboration
between the two regions
• Ministry of Health of Italy-financed second phase of the
PHAME project + creation of a knowledge hub on
migration and health in Sicily

6. Activities in other WHO regions
• African and Eastern Mediterranean
– Emergency response and humanitarian
assistance
– Health system strengthening for better
preparedness, response, recovery and
resilience
• South-East Asia and Western Pacific
– Universal health coverage as an umbrella to
meet health needs of migrants
– Healthy border programmes with a focus on
Greater Mekong Subregion – tuberculosis, HIV,
malaria and other communicable diseases
– The Colombo Process
– Review of access to services by migrants in the
Greater Mekong Subregion (forthcoming)

7. Activities in other WHO regions
Region of the Americas
– Plan of action for the coordination of
humanitarian assistance
(PAHO Resolution CD53.12, 2014)
– Health, human security and well-being
(PAHO Resolution CD50.R16, 2010)
– Strategy for universal access to health and
universal health coverage
(PAHO Resolution CD53/5.Rev. 2, 2014)

8. Leave no one behind:
global responsibility sharing
There is no public health without migrant health.
Health dimensions cannot be addressed with
single-country solutions.
WHO and its partners must work with Member
States to:
o reduce excess mortality and morbidity;
o minimize the negative impact of the migration process;
o avoid disparities in health status and access; and
o ensure refugees’ and migrants’ health rights.

9. Leave no one behind:
global responsibility sharing
Countries must:
• develop inclusive migrant health policies,
integrate them into the national development
plan and put it into practice;
• strengthen health systems to provide universal
health coverage and equitable access to high-
quality health services and public health
programmes;
• have adequate health information systems, with
good surveillance and epidemiological data;
• have coherent policies among the various
sectors and countries involved in the migration
process.