🌍 Migrant health as a global responsibility
October 14th | Joint Event of WHO, Virchow Foundation and GHA on Migration and Health: “No Public Health Without Migrant Health
There is no public health without the health of migrants and refugees.
In the face of increasing conflict, climate change, and growing social inequalities, the health care of migrants and refugees faces enormous challenges. At the same time, the issue is in danger of slipping out of the focus of the international health agenda in a time of geopolitical tensions and shifting funding priorities.
Against this background, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Virchow Foundation for Global Health and the GHA – German Health Alliance on 14 October 2025, a joint event in Berlin to discuss strategies and priorities in the area of Migration and Health to discuss.
Experts from international organizations, foundations and aid agencies – including the WHO, the Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung (DSW) and Malteser International – emphasized the need Migration Health as an integral part of global and national health policy Only if health systems are designed to be inclusive, resilient, and based on human rights can equitable healthcare be guaranteed for all – regardless of origin or residence status.
An important signal in this context is the Virchow Foundation for Global Health initiated Joint Call “Reinforcing the Commitment to Addressing Migration & Health as a Global Public Health Priority”, which was published in May 2025 on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. In the meantime, around 40 international organizations and institutions signed the appeal to send a clear signal for shared responsibility and increased commitment in the area of ​​migration health.
The GHA – German Health Alliance supports this approach and, together with its partners, is committed to ensuring that the health of migrants and refugees is understood as a central component of global health justice and integrated into political and practical measures.