Relevant stakeholders consultation on the WHO Research Framework for Refugees and Migrants

Rome, May 6, 2021.

An online consultation of relevant Italian stakeholders involved in policy making, research, reception and healthcare assistance to migrants and refugees has been held today, called by INMP, WHO Collaborating center on Health and Migration Evidence and Capacity Building. 

The consultation was planned as part of the cooperation with other WHO CCs, the University of Limerick in Ireland, the University of Uppsala in Sweden, the University of Koç in Turkey and the WHO European Regional Office of Copenhagen, for the definition of a WHO Research Framework for Refugees and Migrant Health.

The event registered the participation of representatives of the Italian Ministry of Interior, the Italian Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Italian Red Cross, the Caritas, managers of the Italian reception centers for migrants, Academics as well as medical doctors committed in migrants healthcare, epidemiologists, medical anthropologists and transcultural mediators from INMP’s outpatient Department.

Among the issues debated are: the opportunity to integrate the top-down and bottom-up approaches in setting research priorities, the urgency to strengthen the availability of disaggregated data for migrants and refugees at national and international level, the need to align national and international definitions of migrants and refugees and to integrate the social and health dimensions of migrants and refugees into the research. 

Further insights were provided about the need to increase evidence on COVID-19 impact and on migrant women who often face additional barriers in accessing healthcare services. Moreover, the potential of national and international networks sharing data and best strategies for conducting high quality research even on small samples size has been underlined.

Contributions collected in writing through a questionnaire will be processed and integrated into the Italian  consultation report, in order to combine with the other feedbacks from other consultation events. The expected document is about WHO guiding principles to achieve high quality standards in research studies on migrants health.