Evidence to improve the design of health policies for migrants
PAHO supports strengthening academic networks for research on migration and health and increased cooperation between academia and decision-makers.
With its considerable academic prestige, The Lancet Migration offers the best available evidence-based information on the health of migrants, making it possible for authorities to design public policies in their countries on that issue. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) promotes the exchange between the network of academics of The Lancet Migration and authorities in the Americas, ensuring that policies on migration and health in the Region are supported by evidence.
The Lancet Migration: global collaboration to advance migration health was the result of collaboration among the scientific research journal The Lancet and researchers and other partners in the field of migration and health. The initiative promotes generating relevant and reliable research that can help decision-makers and managers in addressing the health of migrants and promoting changes in relevant public policies.
The Lancet Migration’s work is based on the recommendations of the UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health, published in 2018. The commission worked for two years with 20 experts from 13 countries, conducted a comprehensive review of all available evidence on migration and health and presented recommendations on how to maximize the health of people moving across borders. Two years later, The Lancet Migration was launched and used its convening power to bring together renowned researchers and universities from around the world to address the evidence gaps on the issue.
In December 2018, PAHO's Subregional Program for South America organized the launch of the Commission's recommendations for the Americas, which marked the beginning of its relationship with the academic initiative.
Emphasis on experiences of migrants and health in Latin America
The Lancet Migration Latin American Regional Hub was recently created. The initiative, in which PAHO participates, brings together a network of academic researchers looking to gather more evidence on migration and health in Latin America. Most research on the subject comes from Europe and North America, but with recent migratory movements in South America and from Central American countries to the north, the Region of the Americas has generated its own experiences that researchers are now trying to systematize and add to the global evidence.
Currently, The Lancet Migration is working on a special publication in collaboration with PAHO and academic networks. The publication will compile experiences in the Region on how the health of migrants has been protected. It also promotes the creation of national and subregional research networks on migration and health.
Based on this technical partnership with The Lancet Migration, PAHO has organized virtual seminars and prepared special reports for the ministries of health that they can use as inputs for their health response to migration. PAHO also shares this information with other subregional organizations, such as the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and its MERCOSUR Social Institute (ISM), the Secretariat of the Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Governments (SEGIB), Forum for the Progress and Development of South America (PROSUR) and Andean Regional Health Agency (ORAS CONHU), so they can add this subject in their work agenda.
The Lancet Migration provides credibility on academic research and is able to assemble research teams to get more robust evidence to sustain public health and migration policies in the Americas.