Abstract
WKS 27: Impact of a changing political environment on research on migration and health in Europe and Latin America: Challenges and opportunities, B305 (FCSH), September 5, 2025, 09:00 - 10:00
Amidst rising political polarization and widespread funding cuts, migration and health research is increasingly constrained, with growing implications for evidence-informed policymaking. This round table convenes experts from the European and Latin American Regional Hubs of Lancet Migration, a global initiative launched following the 2018 UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health and from WHO Health and Migration to reflect on how best to jointly respond to these challenges. The session aims to foster dialogue on how researchers can respond to today’s complex geopolitical realities and safeguard the integrity and impact of migration health research. Guided by the WHO Research Agenda on health, migration and displacement and its implementation, the discussion will explore global, regional and national experiences and strategies for adapting to shifting priorities, and the role of research agenda setting in a constrained funding environment. Panellists will examine the role of researchers and policy makers in prioritising the topic of health and migration in politically unstable environments, the use of evidence and opportunities for translation by policymakers, and the ethical tensions surrounding objectivity and independence in research. This session underscores that evidence dissemination and translation into policy in migration and health is under threat. It calls for collective action by global academics and policy makers to anticipate and respond to evolving political and financial pressures to continue to prioritise this topic. By sharing cross-regional and global insights and strengthening networks, the round table seeks to equip researchers with tools to remain effective and resilient in their work—despite mounting external constraints.