Migrant & refugee support organization

International Organization for Migration

The International Organization for Migration works on migration, displacement and the well-being of people on the move. Its health programmes connect access to care with public health preparedness, continuity of treatment and health systems that include migrants.

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Organization profile

Organization type: Migrant & refugee support organization
Headquarters / base: Geneva, Switzerland
Geographic scope: Global

Medical focus

Migration healthPublic healthMental healthTuberculosis

Activities

Humanitarian assistancePublic healthHealth policyResearch

Population served

Migrants & refugeesDisplaced peopleCommunities affected by migration

Migration, displacement and communities

Established in 1951, IOM is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations system. Its work includes responding to displacement and humanitarian crises, supporting regular migration pathways and helping governments and communities address the practical consequences of human mobility. Research and migration data also inform its programmes and policy work.

IOM is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its country and field operations serve people and communities across multiple regions; the headquarters location does not define the population eligible for a particular country programme.

Sources: [1].

Health across the migration journey

The Migration Health 2025 Impact Overview, published in 2026, describes assistance in emergencies, hard-to-reach settings and regular migration pathways. It brings together essential health services, public health preparedness, mental health and psychosocial support, and efforts to strengthen health systems that include migrants.

The report also examines continuity of care for vulnerable migrants, health needs associated with climate-related movement and displacement, and the role of health in longer-term solutions. Partnerships with governments, communities and other international agencies connect these activities to national health priorities. These are programme areas whose delivery depends on the local context, rather than a single package available everywhere.

Sources: [2].

Health assessments and tuberculosis work

IOM’s account of its 2022 pre-migration health activities describes assessments undertaken in accordance with receiving-country requirements. Depending on those requirements, activities included clinical assessment, laboratory and radiology services, vaccination, health education and assistance for people travelling with medical needs. The report documents a defined period of work, rather than a universal immigration requirement.

The organization also publishes a tuberculosis management manual for its migration health assessment programmes. It covers the responsibilities of services that identify, refer, monitor or manage tuberculosis and supports continuity across stages of migration. This technical resource provides a specific connection between IOM’s health work and tuberculosis; individual assessment and treatment arrangements remain programme dependent.

A retained historical UN Global Mobility Programme member list names IOM; it does not establish present membership.

Sources: [3], [4], [5].

Further health reading

Tuberculosis