26. 5. 2026
18–19 May 2026, Geneva
During the week of the World Health Assembly, members of Flagship 1 of the 4EU+ Alliance took part in a series of workshops, roundtables and strategic discussions hosted by the Geneva Health Forum, focusing on migrants and public health and exploring avenues for future collaboration.
The workshop opened with welcoming remarks by the Vice Rector of the University of Geneva, Martine Collart, and the Director of the Geneva Health Forum, Eric Comte.
Hosted by health sociologist Prof. Claudine Burton-Jeangros and Prof. Yves Jackson (Medicine), the workshop formed part of the GRACE project, “Growing and ageing in the shadows: undocumented children and elderly migrants in European cities.”
Researchers from six 4EU+ universities—Geneva, Heidelberg, Prague, Milan, Paris and Copenhagen—presented findings highlighting persistent gaps in migrant health policies across Europe. Drawing on interviews with migrants and frontline workers, their work sheds light on the lived realities of undocumented populations and the structural barriers they face. A key challenge identified was the lack of reliable data, which continues to hinder governments’ ability to design inclusive healthcare systems, leaving many migrants in precarious situations and excluded from care.
The discussion was joined by Daniel Míč from the World Health Organization, who underscored the importance of academic collaboration in informing policies and supporting European Member States in strengthening inclusive health systems.
Looking ahead, the GRACE consortium aims to consolidate its findings into targeted case studies and scientific reports by the end of the year. This work reflects the Alliance’s broader commitment to evidence-based policymaking with global relevance, building on the momentum created by the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the International Organization for Migration in April.
On the following day, a closed roundtable discussion on “Migration, displacement and health: an increasing global health priority in a changing world” was co-organized with several partners - UCL Centre for Global Health Systems and Policy, Virchow Foundation, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, and Lancet Migration.
The multidisciplinary panel featured a diverse group of stakeholders with a strong focus on translating recognition of migrant health challenges into actionable policy solutions. Given today’s geopolitical and financing context, such collaboration and alignment are ever more vital in advancing the healthcare systems both for migrants and the for the rest of society.
Undocumented Migrants Fall Through Europe’s Healthcare Cracks, Joint Research Shows, 19 May 2026, by Felix Sassmannshausen, Health Policy Watch
Un accord pour améliorer la santé des populations migrantes, 21 May 2026, by Alexandra Charvet, University of Geneva
4EU+ Alliance and IOM Announce Strategic Partnership on Migration and Global Health, 30 April 2026, International Organization for Migration