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Migration Humanitarian Health Collective

Group of Friends of Health for Refugees & Host Communities

MH2C co-directors were invited in November 2023 to join the global technical expert advisory committee of the WHO/UNHCR Group of Friends of Health for Refugees and Host Communities.

About the Global Compact on Refugees

The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) is an international framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing to address refugee situations. Affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, it provides a blueprint for governments, international organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities receive the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives.

A central mechanism of the GCR is the Global Refugee Forum, held every four years, where states and partners come together to make pledges and contributions toward the Compact's goals.

The Group of Friends of Health for Refugees and Host Communities

WHO and UNHCR jointly launched the Group of Friends of Health for Refugees and Host Communities in May 2023. The Group gathers more than 60 states, refugees, private sector partners, NGOs, academia, UN agencies, and international organizations to:

  • Achieve sustainable inclusion of refugees into national health systems
  • Strengthen national health services
  • Integrate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in the response

The Group convenes regularly to coordinate pledges, share evidence, and advance implementation of health commitments under the GCR.

MH2C's role

Drs. Gabriel Fabreau and Annalee Coakley (MH2C co-founders and co-directors) were invited to join the Group's global technical expert advisory committee in November 2023. In the six weeks leading up to the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2023, Drs. Fabreau and Coakley directly coordinated approximately 17% of global pledges directed toward health and participated in approximately 25% of all health-related pledges across clinical and academic partners, primarily from North America.

MH2C's participation in the Group of Friends of Health reflects its commitment to health equity and to improving refugee healthcare worldwide, ensuring that evidence generated in North America contributes to progress for refugees and host communities around the world.