Two years after COVID-19 halted cross-border mobility in its tracks, most countries are seeking to fully restart migration and mobility. Sweeping border closures and travel bans have largely been phased out in favor of more targeted approaches, and many governments, travel operators, and ports of entry are lifting or loosening health-related restrictions. Yet the process of reopening has been highly uneven, unequal, and uncoordinated. Even now, inconsistent standards for testing and vaccination, as well as incompatible health credentialing systems, continue to confuse and burden travelers. Moreover, widespread inequalities in vaccine access and take-up are hindering efforts to outpace the virus as it mutates, and exacerbating inequities in who can move.

The International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) poses a timely opportunity to revisit the lessons of COVID-19, before the next variant arrives, including what costs and inequalities emerged in the pandemic era and what systems are needed to prepare for the next outbreak. Perhaps most importantly, the time is ripe to move towards a global agreement on mobility-a more resilient architecture for borders and health.

Read the full article about global health architecture at Migration Policy Institute.