Four actors carry most of the weight — WHO for norms, International Organization for Migration (IOM) for migration health operations, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for refugee health and the European Union for funding in our region — within a wider circle of agencies, networks and research centres.
UN and multilateral organisations
| Organisation | Unit | Role in health and migration | Relevance to our region |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHO headquarters | Health and Migration Programme; Technical Advisory Group | Norms, World report, Global Action Plan, competency standards, Global School (WHO) | Very high |
| WHO Regional Office for Europe | Migration and health programme | Regional strategy and country assessments, including data work with Uppsala University (WHO/Europe) | Very high |
| Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) | Cross-departmental health and migration work | Guidance, situation reports, good-practice calls (PAHO) | Learning partner |
| IOM | Migration Health Division | Health assessments, health promotion, cross-border TB and HIV, migration health governance (IOM) | Very high |
| UNHCR | Public Health Section | Refugee health; co-organiser of the 2023 global consultation (WHO) | High |
| UNICEF · UNFPA | Child protection · sexual and reproductive health | Children on the move; reproductive health and gender-based violence in displacement | Medium |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | Labour migration; occupational safety and health | Labour standards and social protection for migrant workers | High |
| UNAIDS · OHCHR | Mobility and HIV · right to health | HIV among mobile populations; human rights monitoring | Medium |
| World Bank · Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | Social protection · migration and health workforce data | Financing and analysis; data on doctor and nurse migration | Medium |
| European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) | Migrant health | Guidance on infectious disease screening and vaccination of newly arrived migrants in the EU/EEA | High |
| European Commission | DG SANTE, DG NEAR, DG INTPA, DG ECHO | Largest funder in the region — €1.05 billion for refugee health in Türkiye alone (EU) | Very high |
| Global Fund | TB and HIV grants | Migrant components in Eastern Europe and Central Asia | High |
| US CDC | Division of Global Migration Health | Technical Instructions for more than 760 panel physicians performing pre-departure examinations (CDC) | Standard-setter |
Global academic networks
| Network | What it is |
|---|---|
| UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health (2018) | Twenty experts from 13 countries; the most comprehensive review of the evidence (PAHO) |
| Lancet Migration | Global collaboration between The Lancet and researchers, working with multilateral agencies, NGOs, faith groups, donors and governments (Johns Hopkins) |
| Lancet Migration — Latin America hub | Created in Lima in March 2020 with PAHO and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UDD) |
| Lancet Migration — European hub | Co-hosted by the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (University of Geneva; launch) |
| WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health | WHO’s annual training and dialogue platform (WHO) |
| European Public Health Association — Migrant and Ethnic Minority Health Section | Europe’s main professional network in the field; migrant health track at the annual European Public Health Conference |
Journals
- Journal of Migration and Health (Elsevier, open access)
- Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health (Springer)
- International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care (Emerald)
- The Lancet Regional Health – Europe and the European Journal of Public Health
- Georgian Medical Journal — migration and health
More in the Observatory
Continue with the regional profiles, country models and NGOs, faith-based organisations and funders.
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WHO · PAHO 2024 · IOM 2025 · WHO 2023 · EU 2026 · CDC · PAHO · Lancet Migration · UDD · University of Geneva