Abstract
Migrant and minority health has always been an issue of special concern in public health. While migration is not a new phenomenon, the number of refugees and migrants across the globe grew rapidly in 2015, with large numbers from the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, the recent migrant crisis in Europe—sparked by civil wars in Syria and Libya and continuing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan—has escalated to the level of a humanitarian emergency requiring immediate action.We conducted an international workshop on migrant and minority health in Salzburg from 3 to 9 April 2016 to examine migrant and minority health issues in greater depth, sponsored by the American Austrian Foundation and in cooperation with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) and Public Health Reviews (PHR). To continue this discussion within the academic literature, PHR’s special issue on migrant and minority health includes articles from conference participants and other experts in medicine and public health from the European region and beyond.Informed by the contribution of senior representatives of the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and public health practitioners and investigators from over 30 countries, this editorial summarizes recommendations of the conference participants for improving migrant and minority health in Europe. They include (i) developing a conceptual framework for health care intervention for migrants, (ii) oversight and coordination of migrant and minority health activities, (iii) reaching a consensus on implementation practices, and (iv) mobilizing sufficient resources for addressing the health needs of migrants.
Highlights
The American Austrian Foundation and PHR-ASPHER conducted an international workshop on migrant and minority health in Salzburg from 3 to 9 April 2016.1 Public Health Reviews (PHR) is publishing a special issue on migrant and minority health, and the conference participants included both authors of articles for this special issue and representatives of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) member schools across the European region
Migrant and minority health has always been an issue of special concern in public health
Public health and its representatives have a duty to ensure the ethical guardianship of global health standards for all vulnerable groups—including migrants—through the use of their many professional competencies across sectors
Summary
The American Austrian Foundation and PHR-ASPHER conducted an international workshop on migrant and minority health in Salzburg from 3 to 9 April 2016.1 Public Health Reviews (PHR) is publishing a special issue on migrant and minority health, and the conference participants included both authors of articles for this special issue and representatives of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) member schools across the European region. Principles From the outset, the Workshop participants recognized the following internationally sanctioned UN declarations and conventions as the foundation for understanding the current migration crisis: the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights [6], the 1948 Convention on Prevention and Punishment for the Crime of Genocide [7], and the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees—including the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and Resolution 2198 (XXI) [8] These documents establish the international norms of human rights, protection from genocide, and the rights of refugees. Help in adapting to a new cultural environment and lifestyle, such as learning the local language, norms, and customs, is vital to successful assimilation and integration of migrants and minorities in a way that preserves their dignity, independence, and selfrespect as well as commitment to absorption and inclusion in their host country
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