Migrants and their families are particularly vulnerable to health inequities due to the conditions under which they migrate, as well as to their living and working conditions in the country of destination, transit and even upon return. In the Americas, there is a serious lack of information about the health of migrants and the psychosocial consequences for the families they left behind. To bridge this gap, IOM aims to strengthen knowledge to ensure evidence-based programming and policy development, and promote equitable access to migrant-friendly comprehensive health-care services throughout the migration process. IOM does this through assessments of the health vulnerabilities of irregular migrants, returnees and families fragmented by migration, including their access to social services, the specific risks related to mobility and a mapping of governments’ responses to address these vulnerabilities.

Guided by the World Health Assembly Resolution on the Health of Migrants (WHA61.17), IOM is conducting a regional situational analysis of the health and well-being needs and vulnerabilities of migrants, the families they left behind and their host communities. The results of this analysis will serve as the basis for a multi-sectorial consultation process organized by IOM and selected governments and partners to draft a regional migration health framework to promote migrant-inclusive health policies and implement migrant-sensitive services. By doing this, IOM promotes the physical, mental and social well-being of migrants and thus encourages the social and economic development of migrants and that of their receiving communities.