World Health Day 2025: UN and WHO Demand Equal Health Rights for Migrants

Today on the World Health Day the global health organization -WHO and the United Nations Network on Migration have called for urgent global action to ensure maternal and newborn health care for all migrant women.

These two international organisation released a joint statement which is highlighting the worse situation faced by pregnant migrant women and newborns with postnatal care due to legal, financial, and social barriers.

According to the statement by WHO, “No woman should be forced to choose between her safety and her right to health care”.

The agencies warned that migrant women—especially those in transit, undocumented, or in detention centers—face increased risks of complications during pregnancy, often made worse by lack of medical support, fear of deportation, or trauma such as sexual violence.

In the statement there are few keypoints includes such as-

• Universal access to maternal and newborn health services regardless of migration status.
  
• Mandatory birth registration for all children to ensure access to services.
  
• Integration of health care into migration policies across borders.
  
• Equal nationality rights for women to pass citizenship to their children.
  
• More funding for inclusive, culturally-sensitive health systems and migrant-focused research.
  

The WHO’s first World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants has revealed widespread gaps in care, putting lives at risk and increasing long-term public health costs.

“This is not just a humanitarian issue—it’s a public health and human rights priority,” said officials.

The joint message reinforces commitments under the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) and Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), urging governments to act now.

“Every mother and every child deserves a healthy start—no matter where they are or where they come from.”

Stay tuned for more updates as global health leaders respond to this critical call for inclusion and action.