The Role of Nurses in Advancing the Objectives of the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees

Abstract

Nurses and other health care professionals are in a unique position to shift the paradigm around migration debates. As caregivers and advocates for patients and other providers, nurses are crucial to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. This is especially true for migrants, including increasingly vulnerable refugee populations around the world. As negotiations surrounding the Global Compact for Migration and Global Compact on Refugees come to a close, nurses' roles are becoming more apparent. Nurses are facilitators of migration and can help ensure that the benefits of migration are maximized and the challenges are mitigated. Often, nurses are migrants themselves. Leveraging nurses' knowledge, experience, talents, and compassion is crucial for attaining the objectives of both the Global Compact for Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees. Nurses are large contributors to the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The global nursing workforce has enormous potential to advance the achievement of these goals and objectives. In a world that appears to be increasingly xenophobic and hostile to migrants, nurses stand out as professionals who can change the narrative while providing compassionate care for the most vulnerable.