Viet Nam's Ministry of Health and IOM have organized a first
consultative workshop on migration and health in Hanoi.

The workshop, which was attended by senior officials, academics
and UN partner agencies working in the field of migration health,
concluded today and was part of a larger IOM-funded project
addressing migration and health in Viet Nam.

Participants discussed how Viet Nam can achieve the objectives
of the May 2008 Migrant Health Resolution adopted by the World
Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the World Health
Organization (WHO).

The resolution calls on WHA member states to adopt migrant
sensitive health policies and practices. It asks WHO to promote
migrant health, in collaboration with other relevant organizations;
to encourage inter-regional and international cooperation; and to
promote dialogue, with particular reference to the strengthening of
inclusive health systems.

Viet Nam faces health challenges in relation to both
international and domestic migration. Today some 500,000 Vietnamese
work overseas as part of a larger, four million-strong Vietnamese
diaspora in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Internal migration is also one of the major socio-economic
drivers in Viet Nam. An estimated 30 per cent of the urban
population are internal migrants.

"In the past policy makers looked for national answers to
migration and health challenges, focusing on migrant exclusion and
disease control. Today's new approach advocates for a
multi-dimensional and inclusive process that addresses the health
needs of migrants in the broader context of cross-border public
health," says IOM Regional Senior Migration Health Specialist for
Asia and the Pacific Dr. Jaime Calderon.

"This means reducing the stigma often associated with migrants,
facilitating their social integration and recognizing their social
and economic contribution to both their host country and their
country of origin," he adds.

IOM has established a close partnership with WHO in promoting
the goals of the Migrant Health Resolution worldwide. In Viet Nam,
IOM and WHO are active participants in the One UN Initiative, which
aims to combine and synthesize the work of resident UN agencies
within a single planning framework.

For more information, please contact:

Florian Forster

IOM Hanoi

Tel: + 84 9 03450196

E-mail: "mailto:fforster@iom.int">fforster@iom.int 

or

Jaime Calderon

Tel. + 66 81 832 6900

E-mail:  "mailto:jcalderon@iom.int">jcalderon@iom.int