Migration Health

In line with the Global Compact for Migration, Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Agenda 2030, WHA 61.17 resolution on the health of migrants, Universal Health Coverage and other instruments that support safe, orderly and regular migration, IOM in North America, Central America and the Caribbean works to: 

1. Provide access to high-quality health services for migrants
2. Promote evidence-based migration health policies, and 
3. Strengthen migrant-friendly and migrant inclusive health systems

IOM in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, together with health ministries, agencies and networks like Pan-American Health Organization,  The Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic (SE-COMISCA for its Spanish acronym) and Joint Health and Migration Initiative (INCOSAMI for its Spanish acronym) covers a range of health topics, including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases as well as non-communicable diseases, disease surveillance and outbreak preparedness and health issues such as mental health and psychosocial response and reproductive health. Programme responses also focus on non-health topics that are important in the context of migrants' health, such as gender, sexual and gender-based violence, climate change and human rights, among others.

The interventions include migrants in intra/extra-regional migration flows, transit and return flows, irregular migration flows, and host communities. The priority is given to those with increased health vulnerabilities, including but not limited to single women, girls, pregnant and lactating women; families with numerous children; unaccompanied minors; people with disabilities; victims of gender-based violence (intra-family violence, sexual abuse, trafficking in persons); elderly people; persons with health conditions; split families. 

In line with the Global Compact on Migration, the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN 2030 Agenda, resolution 61.17 of the WHA on the Health of Migrants, the Universal Health Coverage and other instruments supporting safe, orderly and regular migration, IOM in South America works to:

1. Provide access to high-quality health services for migrants
2. Promote evidence-based migration health policies, and
3. Strengthen migrant friendly and migrant inclusive health systems.

IOM in South America, together with the ministries of health and agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization and the Andean Health Agency – Hipólito Unanue Agreement (ORAS-CONHU), covers a range of health topics, including  emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, as well as  non-communicable diseases, disease surveillance and preparedness for outbreaks, and health issues, such as mental health and psychosocial response and reproductive health. Programme responses also include a focus on non-health topics that are important in the context of migrants' health, such as gender, sexual and gender-based violence, climate change and human rights, among others. 
 
Interventions include migrants in intra- and extra-regional migration flows, transit and return flows, irregular migration flows and host communities. People with greater health vulnerabilities are prioritized, among them, single women, girls, pregnant and  breastfeeding women; families with many children; unaccompanied children; persons with disabilities; victims of gender-based violence (domestic violence, sexual abuse, trafficking in persons); elderly people; people with health-related problems; separated families.