This book analyzes important international cases of immigrant and refugee health from diverse communication perspectives, providing theoretical frames and effective recommendations for designing future health communication campaigns and interventions for global health promotion. Internationally renowned scholars elucidate the reality of health communication situations that immigrants and refugees experience in host countries around the globe and examine how national and global health risk situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic, affect immigrant and refugee health during difficult health circumstances. Offering effective health communication strategies for promoting immigrant and refugee health, the book also provides lessons learned from past and present health communication campaigns, responses of diverse communities, and governmental policies. This book with many case studies from major host countries on different continents, this book will be of interest to anyone researching or studying in the areas of health communication, public health, international relations, public administration, nursing, and social work.

With a goal of establishing enduring leadership and commitment for the health of refugees and migrants, WHO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Morocco co-organized the Third Global Consultation on the Health of Refugees and Migrants in Rabat, Morocco, on 13–15 June 2023, and led to the adoption of the Rabat Declaration. The Third Global Consultation aimed to strengthen high-level political commitment with an aim to improve, protect and preserve the health and wellbeing of refugees, migrants and host communities. This report captures the summary of key points from this event which includes the need for political commitment, and consideration of equity, inclusion, mainstreaming and accountability. Emphasis was placed on meaningful refugee and migrant participation, effective and equitable access to health care, tackling the social determinants of health and the importance of adopting data- and research-driven approaches.

Worldwide, more people are on the move now than ever before, yet many refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than the host populations. Addressing their health needs is, therefore, a global health priority and integral to the principle of the right to health for all. The key is to strengthen and maintain health systems by ensuring that they are refugee- and migrant-sensitive and inclusive. Health outcomes are influenced by a whole host of determinants. However, refugees and migrants face additional determinants such as precarious legal status; discrimination; social, cultural, linguistic, administrative and financial barriers; lack of information about health entitlements; low health literacy; and fear of detention and deportation. This groundbreaking publication outlines current and future opportunities and challenges and provides several strategies to improve the health and well-being of refugees and migrants. It is an advocacy tool for national and international policy-makers involved in health and migration. Evidence on the health of refugees and migrants remains fragmented – comparable data across countries and over time are urgently needed to track progress towards the health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With only 8 years until the 2030 target date to transform our world, the time to act is now.

This review explores how the health needs of refugees and migrants may differ from those of host populations, requiring culturally sensitive and effective care that recognizes the impacts of migration and forced displacement on physical and mental health. The review draws on grey literature and peer-reviewed research to identify key findings on refugee and migrant health across different contexts and clinical settings as well as the barriers and challenges that may prevent refugees and migrants from accessing health care. The focus on common health needs of refugee and migrant populations across the life-course is designed to complement the development of the Global Competency Standards for the effective provision of health services to refugees and migrants. Health workers providing care to refugees and migrants should be aware of how the migration experience – which can involve poor transit conditions, restrictive entry and integration policies, exclusion and acculturation stress – influences the health status of individuals and their health needs.

The Global Competency Standards sets the benchmark for the health workforce in providing equality of care to refugees and migrants. Refugee and migrant populations are highly diverse, with significant variation in life experiences, health needs and access to health care. The standards described outline expected behaviours of health workers in delivering quality care to refugees and migrants and can be used to inform the outcomes of education programmes aligned with standards for care. The standards described are designed to provide a foundation to support the development of competency-based curricula tailored to the local context and for health workers to achieve a minimum level of competence. The importance of person-centred, culturally responsive care is emphasized in the nine competency standards, which recognize the need for health workers to be trained, supported and empowered within strong health systems. These standards were developed in consultation with recognized experts in refugee and migrant health, including representatives from leading universities, international organizations and global networks. The primary focus of the framework is for application in informing education programmes to prepare all health workers in particularly those in priority countries, for providing refugee- and migrant- sensitive health services.

In May 2017, the Seventieth World Health Assembly, in resolution WHA70.15 on promoting the health of refugees and migrants, urged Member States to strengthen international cooperation on the health of refugees and migrants in line with the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and to consider providing necessary health-related assistance through bilateral and international cooperation to those countries hosting and receiving large populations of refugees and migrants. The resolution was the starting point for the development of the draft global action plan on the health of refugees and migrants (2019-2023) based on best practices, experiences and lessons learnt in promoting the health of refugees and migrants in each WHO region.