Migration and health news from around the WHO European Region
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Migration and health news from around the WHO European Region.
Migration and Health Newsletter
September 2025
WHO/Europe is hosting the second Knowledge Forum on Refugee and Migrant Health
30 September-2 October 2025, Athens, Greece
WHO/Europe is hosting the second Knowledge Forum on Refugee and Migrant Health in Athens, Greece, from 30 September to 2 October 2025. This year’s Knowledge Forum is organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Migration and Asylum of the Hellenic Republic and is co-funded by the European Union.
The Knowledge Forum will bring together Member States and a wide range of key partners to identify strategic partnerships and avenues for joint action to implement the Action plan for refugee and migrant health in the WHO European Region 2023–2030; strengthen the network created during the first Knowledge Forum among Member States and key partners for information and knowledge sharing and cross-country and interregional collaborations; and build capacity on practical and innovative good practice solutions to support the health of refugee and migrant populations.
Stakeholders from countries of origin and destination will participate in the Forum, facilitating collaboration and exchange across migration routes.
Visit this page for more information.
UNGA80 Side event: Advancing noncommunicable diseases and mental health equity for refugees and migrants
25 September 2025, live-streamed globally from New York
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for over 70% of global deaths and disproportionately affect refugees, migrants, and displaced populations. These groups often face barriers to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and continuity of care. These challenges are intensified by displacement, social and economic inequities, and climate-related risks. With over 1 billion people on the move today, ensuring their inclusion in the 2025 Political Declaration on NCDs and Mental Health is critical to advancing equity, Universal Health Coverage, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
On 25 September 2025, Spain, Egypt, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, and IFRC hosted a high-level side event on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly. It brought together Member States, UN agencies, and non-state actors to highlight evidence, share best practices, and strengthen collective support for inclusive, rights-based, and evidence-informed approaches to NCD and mental health care, while catalyzing political commitment to migrant- and refugee-inclusive strategies.
Register now! UNGA80 Side event: Advancing noncommunicable diseases and mental health equity for refugees and migrants
WHO conducted a health system review in Lithuania for refugees and migrants
22-26 September 2025, Vilnius, Lithuania
From 22 to 26 September, the Ministry of Health of Lithuania, in collaboration with the WHO Health and Migration Programme at WHO headquarters, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the WHO Country Office in Lithuania, conducted a refugee and migrant health system review in Lithuania. The exercise was undertaken with national stakeholders and supported by international partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The review aimed to provide an evidence-based assessment of how Lithuania’s health system responds to refugee and migrant health needs and to identify opportunities to strengthen equity, resilience and integration. It applied the WHO Refugee and Migrant Health System Review Tool using a qualitative and participatory approach that included desk reviews, stakeholder consultations, field visits, interviews and analysis.
Read more about the details of the health system review in Lithuania here.
Visit the webpage of the joint WHO-IOM-EU project here.
WHO/Europe launched a new report on health workforce migration in the WHO European Region
17 September 2025, Region-wide
WHO/Europe published its new report on health workforce migration in the WHO European Region, including country case studies from Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Ireland, Malta, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Tajikistan. Health workforce migration is rapidly reshaping health systems across the WHO European Region. While it can strengthen health systems in receiving countries, it often depletes already strained health workforces in countries of origin. This report draws on regional data and nine country case studies to illustrate migration dynamics and patterns, highlighting both heavy reliance on foreign-trained professionals in countries and the outflows from lower-resource systems. To address these challenges, the report calls for investment in domestic training and retention, stronger data systems and ethical recruitment practices.
Read the report here.
Read the media release here.
9 September 2025, Region-wide
WHO/Europe has published a new brief sharing key updates from the joint WHO/Europe and IOM project to improve access to health care for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine in EU Member States. The brief showcases project achievements, facts and figures, activities, quotes from refugees, and future plans.
The project, titled “Improving access to health care for refugees and people displaced from Ukraine benefiting from temporary protection in EU Member States”, is funded by the European Union under the 2023 EU4Health Work Programme. It is being implemented from 2023 to 2025 in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia.
Read the brief here.
Visit the webpage of the joint WHO-IOM-EU project here.
2 – 5 September 2025, Lisbon, Portugal
The Global Society on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health (GSMERH) organized its second congress to promote research, disseminate information, enhance understanding, and advocate for the protection and improvement of the health of migrants and ethnic/racial groups. The Migration and Health team participated in two workshops at the congress. First, the team presented achievements, challenges and results from the current EU4Health project, implemented in coordination with IOM and the EU. Second, and in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Participatory Health Research with Refugees and Migrants in the University of Limerick, Ireland, the team presented its work on participatory health research.
Visit the conference page here.
Visit the webpage of the joint WHO-IOM-EU project here.
Read the participatory health research with migrants: a country implementation guide here.
July 2025, Global
Climate change is a driver of displacement, worsening vulnerabilities and putting immense strain on health systems. In 2023 alone, sudden-onset weather events internally displaced over 20 million people, and by 2050, climate impacts could force 216 million to move within their countries.
WHO’s seventh Global Evidence Review on Health and Migration (GEHM) explores how health systems are responding to these challenges. Reviewing 95 interventions across WHO’s six health system building blocks, the report highlights promising practices, such as adapting services in climate-affected settings, while mapping persistent gaps in long-term planning, financing, and preparedness.
Read the full report: Health system strengthening interventions to improve the health of displaced and migrant populations in the context of climate change
Watch the event recording: 7th GEHM report launch: Strengthening health systems for migrant and displaced populations in the context of climate change
