The International Council of Nurses’s (ICN) Council of National Nursing Association Representatives has passed an emergency resolution demanding human treatment of migrants, in the light of increasing patterns of migration, including among nurses. This resolution was published on 4th July, 2023.
The resolution, which was proposed by the Norwegian Nurses Organisation, highlights the reasons for the increase in migration and the fact that some countries are not providing humane treatment and protection for people who are often fleeing desperate situations.
ICN believes that migration is a growing, multi-country issue that global politics have failed to address. The emergency resolution condemns the violation of migrants’ human rights, including their right to health, and restates its belief that humanitarian treatment of migrants requires the protection of a vast array of rights and opposition to all forms of discrimination and oppression. ICN has a policy on the Health of Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons, and encourages other global health professions organisations to voice their support for protecting health.
ICN urges the World Health Organization to encourage stakeholders to act within its renewed Global Action Plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants and accelerate the uptake of the Rabat Declaration of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
