Health for all: Solidarity with refugees
During the World Refugee Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is united with the more than 123 million people in force in the world, reaffirming that health is a fundamental human right, essential for dignity, protection and inclusion. Under the theme “Solidarity with refugees”, which calls for urgent action to strengthen inclusive and resilient health systems that leave no one behind.
While prolonged trips are increasing, many fleeting conflicts and disasters spend more than a decade awaiting legal recognition. More than 70% is hosted in countries with low and intermediate income, often in urban areas, where legal, financial and structural barriers hinder access to health. Among them, more than 47 million children, faced with disrupted access to health, education and protection. The life of women and newborns is at increased risk with disturbed maternal and essential care as the obstacles to access increases. In particular, refugees are not only beneficiaries of care. They are also scientists, health workers and leaders who enrich the social and economic fabric of host and origin countries.
Despite significant progress and the growing commitment of Member States to integrate the health of refugees in national strategies and universal health coverage, the world time remains in danger. Many refugees face important obstacles to the realization of all their right to health, often aggravated by negative rhetoric and discrimination. The reduction of humanitarian budgets already leads to reductions in essential services, including mental health and psychosocial support (MHPS), maternal health and primary care.
Who calls governments, partners and communities to deepen their commitment by:
- Ensure universal access to care, whatever the status;
- Invest in fair solutions, focused on evidence and cross -border that leave no one behind;
- Generation of funding evidence to inform reactive and data -oriented systems; And
- Strengthen the capacity of the health labor to provide culturally sensitive quality care.
Driving progress: main recent strengths of the promotion of refugee health
The health and migration of WHO collaborate with countries and partners to implement 2019-2030 global action plan on the promotion of refugees and migrants health (Who Gap). Recent key steps include:
- Implement the World Age of the WHO Research on WHO on research programs and health action plans, migration and trips and action plans for national and regional research, and the support of operational research (health funding innovations);
- In -depth assessments of the health system in Bulgaria,, Thailand,, Uganda,, Jordan,, Czechia,, EstoniaSouth Africa and Chile, conducting tangible policy changes, integrating the health of refugees in national health planning;
- launch of Dashboard on global experiences in promoting refugees and migrants With more than 140 case studies in 63 countries, sharing data -based information and evolving models for refugees;
- Training of more than 19,000 professionals from 187 countries at the world school, organized in Switzerland, Jordan,, Bangladesh,, SenegalAnd Colombia;
- Global skills standards courses-learning Reaching 113 countries and awarding more than 600 certificates, and additional training at the country of more than 550 health workers, political decision -makers and mediators in 13 countries; And
- 2025 Steering report at the World Health Assembly Highlight the key stages in the implementation of the advancement of WHO (135 countries have prioritized health and migration in the WHO program budget for 2026-2027).
Country, regional and global efforts to support the health of refugees and the host community
In all regions, which works alongside governments, UNHCR and other partners to strengthen health responses for refugees and reception communities:
- In 2024, which formed 15,000 health workers in more than 160 countries to meet the physical and mental health needs of refugees, deployment of experts to support refugee health agents in places like Armenia and Lebanon.
- In Chad and Uganda, which supports the ministry for the Ministry of Health, including new arrivals, the response to epidemics and epidemic surveillance, while deploying emergency medical teams in fragile environments.
- In the Bazaar de Cox, the Bangladesh, thanks to a major collaboration effort with partners, who led a cholera vaccination campaign for a million refugees and continues to train health workers despite gaps.
- In Pakistan, community health workers in the refugee colonies have been trained in monitoring maternal and perinatal death, as well as improvements in health establishments.
- The integration of refugees in the progress of national health systems in Colombia, while the interpretation services in Romania help refugees from Ukraine to access care.
Globally, WHO and UNHCR co-converse the group of friends of health for refugees and reception communities, promoting the exchange of knowledge between Member States, NGOs and groups led by refugees. In 2025, two major leaves and 243 promises, many of which focused on mental health and the inclusion of refugees in national health systems, demonstrated an increasing commitment to equitable health care of countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Yemen.