121 Climate change aggravating migration and health: a global south - global north dialogue on practice experiences

Abstract EP2.2, e-Poster Terminal 2, September 3, 2025, 13:05 - 14:00 Aim Climate change and related forced migration is an increasingly important theme both in Europe and in Africa. Facilitating dialogue on climate change related impact on migrant health across the regions is one of the aims of an initiative from the Health and Migration field. Methods The Center for Health and Migration, Austria (CHM) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM UN-Migration), in cooperation with stakeholders at international, national, and sub-national level organize Health and Migration online courses. By 2024, 5 courses have been implemented and a community of 332 experts who work for and with migrants and refugees, in policy making, program development, and health and social care in the East and Horn of Africa region has been built up. The topic of climate change gained increasing attention, now being discussed in a dedicated training module and additional webinars. Results Discussants from Africa reported to encounter climate change effects on health and migration in their professional practice. In their experience, climate change aggravates issues of health and migration by fueling forced migration and displacement, increasing health care needs, and deteriorating access to health care. Migration is described as an important mitigation strategy vital for survival. Answers on questions raised for European colleagues, e.g. how Europe does experience and handle migration movements related to climate change within Europe, and how Europe does experience the impact of climate change on general dissatisfaction and mistrust in existing governance structures, are yet to be formulated. Conclusions Collecting knowledge and experiences from practice experts is crucial because they offer firsthand insights into challenges faced in practice, strategies in place, and related needs. A dialogue between experts from the Global North and South on the climate change impact on health and migrant can contribute to mutual learning and joint formulation of research questions.