Call for Good Practices on Health and Migration in the Americas

Strategic line of action

• The purpose of this call is to identify good practices in the Region that have demonstrated the successful implementation of an intervention.
  • Strategic line of action 1: Strengthen health surveillance, information management and monitoring
    • This strategic line of action focuses on ensuring that national surveillance systems integrate considerations for both host and migrant populations. It seeks to ensure that information and disaggregated data are generated at regional and country levels (national and sub-national), and that adequate, standardized, and comparable records on the health of migrants are available to support policy- and decision-makers to develop more evidence-informed policies, plans and interventions.
    • Subtopics
      • Establishment and/or fortification of early warning alert and response practices on:
      • Health risk identification, and
      • Guidance for prevention and control interventions.
      • Strengthening of capacities for migrant data collection by national and decentralized health surveillance and information systems.
      • Strengthening of epidemiological surveillance and information management.
  • Strategic line of action 2: Improve access to health services for the migrant and host population
    • This strategic line of action focuses on increasing equitable access to comprehensive, timely, quality health services for all people, including the migrant population, without discrimination and with a people- and community-centered approach. It is essential to determine specific barriers to access and define specific interventions, for example, facilitating linguistic, intercultural, and financial support to improve access to health services for migrant and host populations.
    • Subtopics:
      • Identification of health needs of migrants and health systems gaps.
      • Includes gaps related to healthcare access and coverage in communities along border areas.
      • Incorporation of migrant health needs in country plans, policies, and programs related to migration.
      • Enhancement of Ministries of Health participation in the development of migration-oriented country plans, policies, and programs.
  • Strategic line of action 3: Improve communication and exchange of information to counter xenophobia, stigma and discrimination
    • This strategic line of action focuses on the provision of accurate information and dispelling of fears and misperceptions among migrant and host populations about the health impacts of migration and displacement on mobile populations, and on the health of local communities and health systems.
    • Subtopics:
      • Implementation of strategies for information exchange on migrants’ health to promote collaborative health actions.
      • Implementation of strategies for local and regional knowledge exchange on promotion and protection of migrants’ health, among countries, agencies, and other relevant actors.
      • Development of gender and culturally-sensitive material for awareness campaigns that inform migrants and host communities about the rights of migrants (including their right to health), while dispelling negative perceptions surrounding this population.
      • Carrying out capacity building for health care providers and government officials on migrant health needs, culturally-sensitive standards of care, and referral procedures
  • Strategic line of action 4: Strengthen partnerships, networks, and multi-country frameworks to understand the status and promote and protect the health of migrants
    • This strategic line of action seeks to ensure that the determinants affecting migrants’ health are addressed through joint action and coherent multi-sectoral public health policy responses, including differentiated impacts among women and girls, children, and indigenous and afro descendant communities.
    • Subtopics:
      • Implementation of strategies for inter-sectoral collaboration (including education, social welfare, amongst others) for response intervention planning and resource allocation.
      • Implementation of strategies for the establishment or reactivation of international partnerships and alliances
      • Development of binational coordination mechanisms and plans of action to effectively address shared health challenges related to a migratory crisis.
  • Strategic line of action 5: Adapt policies, programs, and legal frameworks to promote and protect the health and well-being of migrants
    • This strategic line of action targets the mainstreaming of migrant’s health in national agendas and promotes migrant-sensitive health policies and legal and social protection, and the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents living in migrant settings.
    • Subtopics:
      • Implementation of strategies for the strengthening/scaling up of interventions aimed at:
        • Effective promotion, respect, and fulfillment of the human rights of migrants, and
        • Upholding migrant’s right to health and principles of non-discrimination.
      • Incorporation of provisions within legal frameworks to uphold the principles of the right to health and non-discrimination towards migrants.
      • Incorporation of provisions within legal frameworks to address discriminatory processes and health barriers affecting migrants.

Who can submit a Good Practice?

• National Authorities
  • National Authorities from PAHO Member States (Region of the Americas) are invited to submit their experiences related to health and migration.
  • National Authorities, including at the sub-national and local levels, may include:
    • Public health institutions, and other related sectors (i.e. health, finance, labor, etc.)
    • Academic institutions
    • Civil society organizations
  • Additionally, the participation of international agencies, international organizations, including at the subregional level, as well as strategic stakeholders:
    • Non-governmental Organizations (including Foundations, Religious Institutions, Charities, etc.)
    • Media Agencies
    • Research Institutions
• Experts
  • Experts in the Region are invited to submit their experiences. Experts may include:
    • Professionals
    • Policymakers
    • Researchers with publications or involved in research on migration and health topics
• Languages: English, Spanish and Portuguese.

For more information, visit PAHO.