Moving to a new country can be a positive and empowering experience for people on the move and the communities hosting them. However, the conditions in which people move often put their health and well-being at risk. Faced with language, cultural and other barriers, refugees and migrants may not understand how different health systems work or what support they are entitled to. They can face challenging living and working conditions, such as overcrowding, exploitation, low wages, and poor access to water and sanitation, and they may experience discrimination and xenophobia. As a result, their needs and rights may not be met.
Every year, the WHO Department of Health and Migration organizes its Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health in collaboration with regional and country offices to support countries in addressing the health needs and rights of people on the move by promoting knowledge sharing and leveraging experiences in advancing the health of these populations.
Good health and well-being are fundamental rights of every human being and enabling factors for everyone, including refugees and migrants, to be able to work, to contribute to social and economic growth and development. Fulfilling the right to health for all requires addressing other critical determinants of health, including food and nutrition, housing, access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation, safe working conditions, and a healthy environment.
The fourth edition of the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health will focus on “Addressing social determinants of health among refugees and migrants." Organized by the WHO’s Department of Health and Migration in close collaboration with the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, WHO Regional Office for Africa and the WHO Country Office in Senegal and hosted by the Ministry of Health of Senegal, the five-day e-learning event will take place from 27 November to 1 December 2023, every day between 12:00-1:30 PM CET and be web streamed from Dakar, Senegal.
Audience
The target audience is health sector and government officials, health sector managers, health and non-health sector policy-makers, public health experts, international and nongovernmental organizations, youth associations, and other relevant sectors contributing to refugee and migrant health.
Format
The event will occur in a hybrid format with in-person and virtual participation. In-person participation is by invitation only. Virtual participants can follow the school on Zoom.
Agenda
The school will feature five modules delivered over five consecutive days, every day for 90 minutes. Each day will feature high-level keynote speeches, live panel discussion with multidisciplinary stakeholders, question and answer sessions, and a series of video reportages produced by regional and country offices to share experiences on health and migration from the ground.
On the first four days, technical discussions will focus on core sub-themes under the overarching umbrella of the social determinants of migrant health:
- Health literacy
- Working conditions
- Housing and living conditions
- Food and nutrition
The last day will be devoted to a panel discussion on the overarching topic of this year's school.
Registration
More about the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health
Every year, the WHO's Department of Health and Migration organizes the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health, gathering governments, UN agencies, researchers, NGOs, and civil society, including migrants and refugees, to share country experience and knowledge, outline good practices, identify gaps, and collectively pave the way ahead, leaving no one behind.