Changing the Story: Collaboration & Solutions for Migrant Health

Migrant health is now a central global public health issue. Population displacements linked to wars, political crises, climate change, or economic aspirations are transforming our societies in lasting ways. Yet, migration is too often associated with negative and stigmatizing perceptions, even though migrants make essential contributions to the economic, social, and cultural life of host countries. These perceptions mask real-life challenges: limited access to healthcare, language barriers, a lack of reliable data, insufficient mental health resources, and restrictive policies that increase the vulnerability of those affected.

It is therefore urgent to no longer consider migrant health as a peripheral or solely humanitarian issue, but to fully integrate it into public policies, using an approach based on rights, equity, and the recognition of migrants as full stakeholders. Bearing this in Mind, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) organized the conference “Changing the Story: Collaboration & Solutions for Migrant Health” in May 2025, on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly. This moment carried special significance , as the WHO presented its progress report on the implementation of the Global Action Plan to Promote the Health of Refugees and Migrants (2019–2030).

This GHF conference provided a unique space for dialogue between WHO, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, international institutions, and migrant representatives, to jointly identify effective solutions. Designed as a laboratory of ideas and practices, it pursued two objectives: to deconstruct the stereotypes that fuel stigma, and to highlight innovative and inclusive approaches to address the health needs of migrants. The discussions were organized around three priorities: improving data and research, strengthening mental health and psychosocial well-being, and promoting the role of migrants as agents of their own health and integration. The conference concluded with a call to build on the momentum already underway, notably through a collaboration board allowing participants to engage personally and forge new partnerships.

The 4EU+ alliance, which brings together eight universities in Europe, has made migrant health one of its priority areas of work. It co-organized this conference with the GHF and the WHO. Our approach is part of its broader mission: to build bridges between the various actors in global health in order to transform debates into shared commitments and lasting collaborations.