Opening up to migration and health

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The picture of migration seen by many people is a bleak one. Boatloads of migrants travelling across the Mediterranean Sea bound for an uncertain future. A million Syrian refugees in Lebanon caught between a brutal war at home and mounting pressure to leave their place of refuge. The defiant caravan of Hondurans seeking asylum in the USA despite cruel threats of retaliation. These images portray a fractured world on the move. They also show that while globalisation and mobility have allowed unprecedented connectedness over space and time, they have not united us. Migration and health: human rights in the era of populismHistorically, the overall contribution of migrants to the economy and wealth of hosting countries has exceeded their costs. Migration helps address labour market imbalances, and migrants contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they receive in benefits.1 However, increasing opposition to migration is expressed in political rhetoric and social media. Xenophobia and racism are galvanised by populist discourse that serves domestic political interests. A climate of intolerance facilitates the passing of discriminatory laws and the introduction of measures against migrants that contradict fundamental human rights. Full-Text PDF Historic global agreement on migrationAt a time when migration and migrants are considered unpopular at best and a threat at worst in many parts of the world, most UN member states decided to do what would have been unthinkable a mere few years ago and on July 13, 2018, came to an agreement on a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).1 This compact is a remarkable historic achievement and a nod to multilateralism, but, perhaps just as important, it is a collective acknowledgement of the need to better harness the undoubted benefits of migration and mitigate its complex and many challenges. Full-Text PDF Advancing health in migration governance, and migration in health governanceHealth is an essential factor to enable orderly, safe, regular, and humane migration. Yet health remains at the margins of decisions making in migration governance, with decision usually made within ministries of interior, foreign policy, and immigration. There is typically limited engagement from health authorities beyond issues concerning health security, quarantine, and border-health management. Thus, migration policies do not address the inherent social determinants of migration and health. Full-Text PDF The unmet needs of refugees and internally displaced peopleWe welcome the UCL–Lancet Commission1 that highlights migration as a key determinant of health, and rightly examines the discrimination and denial of access to health services faced by many migrants. The Commission emphasises the diversity of migrant experiences, sheds light on the record on migrant health, and draws attention to the positive economic impact of migration. Here we draw attention specifically to the health needs of refugees and the internally displaced people (IDP) who are forced to flee by conflict or disaster. Full-Text PDF The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the moveWith one billion people on the move or having moved in 2018, migration is a global reality, which has also become a political lightning rod. Although estimates indicate that the majority of global migration occurs within low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), the most prominent dialogue focuses almost exclusively on migration from LMICs to high-income countries (HICs). Nowadays, populist discourse demonises the very same individuals who uphold economies, bolster social services, and contribute to health services in both origin and destination locations. Full-Text PDF