Establishment of a Regional Migration and Health Capacity-Building Hub in Mexico

Elements of Innovation

• Awareness Raising and Communication
• Data, Research and Technology
• Social Cohesion and Community Participation

What is the project about?

Migrants and refugees have important health needs and often face inequalities in their health status and access to health care. Health-care delivery to this patient group has, in fact, become a challenging public health focus worldwide.

This project is dedicated to addressing this critical challenge across North, Central, and South America, through the establishment of a Regional Capacity-Building Hub on Migration and Health. This initiative seeks to improve the knowledge of diverse stakeholders on the public health implications of migration, and strengthen the responsiveness of health services to migrants’ needs. Through targeted training and tailored resources, the Hub aims to empower these stakeholders to become advocates for migrants' health-care rights, effectively bridging gaps and fostering an environment of inclusivity. At its core, the project strives to enhance migrants' access to health-care services throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, culminating in the encouragement of progressive policy changes and impactful programs within these contexts.

How is the project innovative?

This project stands as an innovative response to the complex challenges concerning migrants' access to health care in North, Central, and South America. Notably, its innovation lies in its collaborative and comprehensive approach across the continent.

The project foresaw the establishment of an academic working group, involving institutions like Georgetown and Columbia University, as well as different UN agencies, aimed at enabling regional stakeholders to shape training priorities and most of all aligning curriculum development with diverse contexts via cross-regional coordination mechanisms.

Such transformative training curriculum, emphasizing rights-based and gender-sensitive migrant health care, extends beyond conventional programs to encompass labor migration, border management, climate change, and gender-based violence within a human-rights framework. Ultimately, this project innovatively tackles a critical issue by combining academic collaboration, specialized training, and sustainable strategies.