Group of Friends of Health for Refugees and Host Communities

Good health is central for every person’s wellbeing and everyone has the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, including refugees and their host communities. Likewise, good mental health and psychosocial well-being is vital for every person to cope with the stresses of life, to realize their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their communities. Addressing the health of refugees, other forcibly displaced and stateless people has never been so important due to high numbers of affected persons, increasingly complex global health challenges and declining humanitarian funding. The situation is becoming more complex as conflicts persist and climate change impacts health and disease patterns.

As part of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), States and other stakeholders have committed to contribute resources and expertise to expand and enhance the quality of national health systems to facilitate effective and equitable access by refugees and host communities. These commitments will facilitate effective access to health services for refugees and host communities, raising national coverage while reducing differences amongst underserved and vulnerable groups. Since the affirmation of the GCR in 2018, individuals, private businesses, organizations and governments have made more than 330 pledges to advance access to health services, including more than 240 pledges during the GRF 2023.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNHCR are co-convening the Group of Friends of Health for Refugees and Host Communities comprised of States, refugees, private sector partners, NGOs, academia and international organizations to achieve sustainable inclusion of refugees into national health systems, to strengthen national health services and to systematically include mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) actions in the response to achieve lasting change for refugees and host communities alike.

The Group has developed two multi-stakeholder pledges - 1) advancing inclusion in national health systems and 2) advancing MHPSS through multi-sectoral actions – which were launched during the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023.

The Group is focusing now on supporting pledge implementation, sharing best practices and raising new commitments through collaborative work.

For more information, please contact:

• Guillaume Simonian (WHO) [email protected]
• Allen Maina (UNHCR) [email protected]
• Pieter Ventevogel, UNHCR, [email protected]