IOM Director General William Lacy Swing leading an IOM delegation
have joined world leaders, donors and health partners gathering in
New York this week at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly
Special Session High Level Meeting on AIDS.

Ten years since the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in
2001, countries are looking back at progress on these promises and
hammering out a new agreement that will determine the future of the
HIV response.

"Managing the health challenges of migration requires
cooperation across borders and sectors," explains Director General
Swing. "One of IOM's most important role is to bring migration to
the global dialogue on health, to help find sustainable solutions
for governments and to share good practice that protects the rights
of migrants."

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Links alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2011/june/20110610migration/"
target="_blank" title="">UNAIDS Related Article alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/activities/health/hiv-population/Political-Declaration-on-HIV-2011.pdf"
target="_blank" title="">Political Declaration on
HIV/AIDS alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "/jahia/Jahia/media/all-speeches/cache/offonce?entryId=29801"
title="">Remarks by IOM Director General William Lacy
Swing alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "/jahia/Jahia/events/eventAM/cache/offonce?entryId=29713" title=
"">Migration and HIV

Important progress has been made in ensuring universal access to
HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, but challenges still
remain for migrants, particularly those without legal migration
status.

Although not all migrants are at heightened risk of HIV
infection, depending on their experience throughout the migration
process, some migrants do face higher HIV vulnerability. In some
settings, migrants may lose their jobs or their visas if they are
found to be living with HIV.

Many migrants also face barriers in accessing healthcare
generally. Services and information may not be in their language or
culturally competent and irregular migrants may fear discrimination
or even deportation if they approach public health providers.

"We're here to make sure migrants are not forgotten,”
states IOM's HIV Coordinator, Rosilyne Borland, adding "This event
will have implications for future health funding, and even country
reporting. IOM is working with its member states and other partners
to ensure migrants are included."

As part of the run-up to the High Level Meeting, IOM and UNAIDS
carried out a review of National Strategic Plans on HIV/AIDS and
migration.

"Ninety percent of the plans we've reviewed mention migrants.
This confirms that migration is clearly important to most
countries, which is not surprising as migration impacts most
countries," explains Poonam Dhavan, IOM Health Research and
Epidemiology Coordinator.

The review also confirms how country AIDS plans refer to
migrants and that migration varies widely, with terminology ranging
from undocumented worker, foreigner, and seasonal
migrant, to returnee, overseas migrant and
trafficked person.

"Migrants are extremely diverse and most countries in the world
confront a range of migration flows, many times as countries of
origin, transit and destination at the same time. And so much
remains to be done to harmonize HIV approaches with migrants,"
stresses Borland.

Monitoring migrant health is a cornerstone of the 2008 World
Health Assembly Resolution 61.17 on the Health of Migrants, one of
the many existing commitments that should inform the new
declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS.

As part of the High Level Meeting, IOM, UNAIDS, ILO and UNHCR
are co-hosting a side event on Migration and HIV, which aims to
promote dialogue among governments, civil society and other
partners on population mobility and HIV.

IOM renewed its Cooperation Framework with UNAIDS in 2011,
further strengthening a partnership that is reflected in joint
activities at the country level around the world.

For more information, please contact Rosilyne Borland at the
Migration Health Division at IOM Geneva:

Tel +33 682 70 6494

Email: "mailto:rborland@iom.int">rborland@iom.int