Episode Summary
This episode examines the Sixth WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health, a landmark capacity-building initiative convened in Geneva in December 2025 with 1,200 participants from 143 countries. The discussion focuses on strengthening health policy responses and governance frameworks to address the health disparities faced by over one billion mobile populations globally, including 117 million forcibly displaced individuals who encounter significant barriers to healthcare access.
Key Topics Discussed
- Global migration and displacement epidemiology: Current scale of human mobility and health system impacts affecting refugee and migrant populations
- Healthcare access barriers: Legal, financial, linguistic, and social obstacles limiting care delivery to displaced and migrant communities
- Universal health coverage integration: Strategies for incorporating migrant and refugee health into comprehensive UHC frameworks
- Primary health care strengthening: Systems approaches to serve displaced populations with equitable, culturally sensitive services
- Mental health and psychosocial support: Evidence-based interventions addressing the psychological burden of displacement and migration
- International cooperation and policy coordination: Cross-sector collaboration mechanisms for sustainable health system reforms
Key Takeaways
- Refugee and migrant health requires governance strengthening and cross-sector collaboration beyond humanitarian assistance alone
- Evidence-informed policy development is essential for designing sustainable, equitable health system responses to migration
- Inclusive and culturally competent primary health care systems are critical for reducing health disparities in displaced populations
- International capacity-building platforms like the WHO Global School facilitate knowledge exchange and policy dialogue across countries
- Mental health and psychosocial support must be integrated into comprehensive migrant health service delivery models
About This Episode
As global human mobility continues to reshape health systems worldwide, understanding evidence-based policy responses to refugee and migrant health is essential for public health professionals, policymakers, and healthcare providers. This episode provides insights into the WHO's flagship initiative for strengthening leadership and governance in migrant health, with relevance to Georgia's role in regional health policy and the international community's commitment to health equity for all populations.
In this episode of the GMJ Podcast — the official podcast of the Georgian Medical Journal, we examine the Sixth WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health, a flagship capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening leadership and policy responses to migrant and refugee health worldwide.
Human mobility is reshaping global health systems. Today, more than one billion people worldwide are on the move, including approximately 117 million forcibly displaced individuals. Refugees and migrants often face significant barriers to health services, including legal, financial, linguistic and social obstacles that limit access to care.
The Sixth Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health was convened by the World Health Organization from 9–11 December 2025 in Geneva, bringing together around 1200 participants from 143 countries, including policymakers, health professionals, researchers and representatives from civil society and international organizations.
The event focused on the theme “Leadership in health and migration: policies and actions across countries”, highlighting how stronger governance, cross-sector collaboration and evidence-informed policies can improve health outcomes for migrants and refugees.
Participants discussed strategies to:
• integrate migrant and refugee health into universal health coverage
• strengthen primary health care systems serving displaced populations
• improve mental health and psychosocial support for migrants
• promote inclusive and culturally sensitive health services
• enhance international cooperation and policy coordination
Since its launch, the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health has trained thousands of professionals worldwide, serving as an important platform for policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and capacity building in migrant health governance.
The WHO emphasizes that improving health services for refugees and migrants requires not only humanitarian assistance but also sustainable health system reforms that ensure equitable access to care for all populations.
Original WHO source discussed in this episode:
https://www.who.int/news/item/31-01-2026-the-sixth-who-global-school-on-refugee-and-migrant-health--leadership-from-policies-to-action
The GMJ Podcast accompanies peer-reviewed publications and global health policy discussions published in the Georgian Medical Journal.
Journal website:
https://gmj.ge/index.php/pub/index
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