Amid a global pandemic, access to health and social services is not the standard. Similarly, whether the process of migration itself improves or diminishes an individual’s health status depends on great part on their access to transit and destination countries’ health systems. Building back better involves going beyond aspirational written plans; rather, such plans are paired with strong leadership to build effective, accountable, and inclusive societies sensitive capable to cater to everyone’s needs.
The UN Secretary General’s report on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, published this year, and taking stock on the progress made since the adoption of the GCM, as well as from the COVID-19 pandemic experience, clearly recommends States to promote inclusive societies and including migrants in COVID-19 response and recovery. More specifically, States and stakeholders are urged to ensure that all migrants are granted and enabled to gain access to essential health services and continuity of care, including COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, and treatment, regardless of migration status, and in line with the principles of universal health coverage.
Ahead of the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) 2022, the UN Network on Migration partners, the World Health Organization and the International Organization for Migration are organizing the last virtual interactive IMRF dialogue series on Promoting Inclusive Societies and Ensuring the Inclusion of Migrants in COVID-19 response and recovery. The event will bring together Member States and key international stakeholders from different sectors involved in Migration and Health governance.
Objectives
- Discuss joint opportunities, challenges, promising practices, and innovative solutions in promoting inclusive societies and ensuring the inclusion of migrants in COVID-19 response and recovery plans.
- Share country experiences to illustrate ways in which governments and other stakeholders could use existing migrant-sensitive frameworks and guidelines to scale-up best practices for migrant inclusion.
Audience
The event is open to everyone but is particularly aimed at Member States and key international stakeholders.
Agenda
Chair: Santino Severoni, Director, Health and Migration Programme (PHM), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva
15.30 GVA – Opening Remarks
- Zsuzsanna Jakab, Deputy Director-General, WHO, Geneva
- Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director-General for Operations, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva
15.35 GVA – Setting the Scene
- Santino Severoni, Director, Health and Migration Programme (PHM), WHO, Geneva
- Wen Li, Director, Department of External Relations, IOM
15.42 GVA– Introduction to panel discussion and distinguished Member State Remarks
- José Francisco Javier Vallejo Flores – National Undersecretary for Health Promotion and Equity, Ecuador
- Cristina Casas, Head of International Relations, Migration Policy and Enrolment of Migrants Department, High-Commissioner of Migration – Portugal
- Aasmaa Chaoui, Chief of the Migration Health Unit at the Direction of Epidemiology and Fight Against Diseases – Ministry of Health and Social Protection – Morocco
- Francis Kuria, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health – Kenya
- Watinee Kunpeuk, Research Assistant, Non-Thai Population Research Unit (NTPR), International Health Policy Program (IHPP), Ministry of Public Health of Thailand – Thailand
16.01 GVA – High-level Panel discussion
Moderator: Baltica Cabieses – Universidad del Desarrollo, Social Science Studies department; Senior Visiting Scholar – University of York, Co-lead Lancet Migration Latin American Hub.
- Lala Arabian, Executive Director, INSAN Association
- Felipe Muñoz Gómez, Migration Unit Chief, Inter-American Development Bank
- Sanushka Mudaliar, Director of the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) Global Migration Lab
- Virginia W. Greiner, Director and Founder Maisha e. V
16.35 GVA – Interactive Q&A session
Interventions from the floor:
- Amar Mustaf, Student – Middle East and Post-Conflict Societies – Monash University for brief intervention from the floor.
- Aasmaa Chaoui, Chief of the Migration Health Unit at the Direction of Epidemiology and Fight Against Disease – Ministry of Health and Social Protection
16.55 GVA – Closing Remarks