Welcome to the PHM thematic circle on War and Conflict, Occupation, Forced Migration!

PHM believes that the thematic circle on War and Conflict, Occupation, Forced Migration & is a priority, not only as a determinant of health and the vulnerability of those affected, but also due to the level of conflict and displacement occurring around the world, with one in seven people in the world living in fragile or conflict-affected countries (Curtis, 2019), and almost 80 million people forcibly displaced (UN News, 2020).

The vision for the War and Migration and Health Thematic Area is that migrants’ and refugees’ health rights are upheld.

The short term goals focus on strengthening PHM’s work in the space to serve as an effective global voice on the issues. The short-term goals for War and Migration and Health are-

   PHM is recognized as an important voice for healthcare rights of victims of war, refugees, stateless persons and migrant labour.
   PHM is seen as an important support to organisations working with these sections.
   PHM creates pressure for decreased militarization of public health
   PHM highlights and advocates against breaches of civil liberties and the abuses of autocratic /authoritarian governments.

If you wish to volunteer for this thematic group, contribute in anyway or have any questions, please contact <mhamlin[at]phmovement[dot]org> who is currently supporting the coordination of the group. You may also write to deepika[at]phmovement[dot]org.

RESOURCES AND ARTICLES

1. To begin with, please read this document prepared by the thematic group after the 4th People’s Health Assembly in Dhaka, 2018. Document in English, Document en Français .
2. On the  10^th anniversary of the Syrian uprising rather the 10^th anniversary of a brutal conflict, Samer Jabbour and others write a commentary  in the Lancet. “10 years of the Syrian conflict: a time to act and not merely to remember”. March 2021. Samer is also a member of the War and conflict thematic circle. One of the defining feature of the Syrian Conflict has been the “weaponisation of healthcare”. Another useful article on the Syrian Conflict- Health in Syria: a decade of conflict. Sharmila Devi. March 2021
3. Please also see the Podcast (The Lancet Voice series) “Ten years of conflict in Syria” where Samer Jabbour and Iman Nuwayhid are interviewed by Gavin Cleaver and Jessamy Bagenal.
4. “Why isn’t war properly framed and funded as a public health problem?” The below link is limited access.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13623699.2017.1347848?journalCode=fmcs20. 
5. On “Selective Solidarity” in the context of the Ukraine invasion of Syria vs Ukraine. Yassin al-Haj Saleh. March 2022. Medico International.
6. In Criticism of Solidarity. Yassin al-Haj Saleh, May 2018. Aljumhiruya.net. The article is in Arabic and can be translated from Arabic to English via Google Translate. “Through this, the solidarity relationship tends to make the issue subordinate to, or a product of, solidarity. It is formulated in a way that secures the largest possible solidarity return, that is, in a manner that guarantees it entry into the solidarity market, in a competition for popularity and returns with other causes.”