UNHCR head thanks Greece, frontline islands, for improved response to continuing arrivals
UNHCR chief António Guterres witnesses improved humanitarian response mounted by Greek local authorities and civil society
LESVOS, Greece (UNHCR) - In a weekend mission to the main EU entry point for nearly 450,000 refugees and migrants so far this year, UNHCR chief António Guterres witnessed the improved humanitarian response mounted by Greek local authorities and civil society while lamenting the continued lack of a large-scale and effective European response.
Assessing conditions on the Greek island of Lesvos, the main landing spot for tens of thousands of people taking smuggler boats from the nearby Turkish coast, Guterres said European governments had yet to match the "gigantic effort" that the island and its people had made in trying to cope with the huge influx.
"It is amazing that on a small island, you are managing, whereas in a big Europe, with half a billion people, they are finding it so difficult," Guterres told Lesvos Mayor Spyros Galinos and other Greek officials. "We are always saying this crisis is manageable at the European level, but to be manageable, it needs to be much better managed."
Without a Europe-wide approach and an effective strategy in dealing with the influx, Guterres warned, criminal networks would continue to thrive. "When states are not able to organize the orderly movement of refugees, smugglers take charge, exploiting people further and adding to their suffering," he added.
Describing his island as frontline, Mayor Galinos said: "the main issue is not the numbers, but the lack of a European policy to respond." Nevertheless, he said, Greeks would continue to do whatever they could to address the crisis and combat smugglers, "who not only exploit the people, but who put their lives at continuous risk."
"Above all, we are all human beings," the Mayor added. "We must all recognize the position of these people because we might all find ourselves in this situation one day."
UNHCR has deployed an emergency team to Greece and now has some 120 staff in the country to support the government in its effort to address the continuing crisis. The island of Lesvos, which according to the last census in 2011, had a population of 85,000 people, but is probably several thousand higher now, has received over 220,000 people in nine months. UNHCR figures put the number of arrivals in September alone at 160,000, while the Greek coast guard records show 110,000 people.
The majority of the refugees and migrants arriving on Lesvos are from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. The rest, about five per cent, are migrants and refugees from 21 countries as varied as India, Bangladesh, Togo, Niger, Columbia, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The Greek Coast Guard on Lesvos receives between five to 10 distress calls a day and then sets out to rescue people in overcrowded boats.
Deputy Harbour Master, Antonio Sofiadellis, a leader in the Greek Coast Guard effort that has saved between 240-400 refugee and migrant lives every day, said that more people are being packed onto the flimsy boats these days - around 60 when 50 used to be the limit.
"The engines are very cheap and the smugglers don't care that they don't know how to operate the boats. This is something no country in Europe has faced. If we weren't there to rescue them, half or more than half would drown. The boats capsize, some fold, when the floor breaks."
Guterres also visited the north of Lesvos, where most refugee boats land. The beaches were strewn with hundreds of bright orange life jackets and deflated rubber boats, soaked shoes and pieces of clothing. Some 1,050 people had arrived overnight and volunteers helped them to an assembly point nearby, where they found food and a warm place to sleep in a large UNHCR shelter.
Some Syrian refugees he met told him they had fled directly from Aleppo, Damascus or Homs. Other Syrians said they could no longer make ends meet in neighbouring countries amid cuts in humanitarian aid and restrictions on work. Most people said they felt now was their chance to find safety in European countries where refugees were welcome.
By Melissa Fleming, Lesvos, Greece
Related news and stories
Ukraine's refugees find long-term support in Europe's host countries
Women-run businesses in Afghanistan dealt a blow by deepening restrictions
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
UNHCR launches new appeal for Afghan refugees and hosts, urging partners to stay the course
Your search for « syria » matched 4302 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 10 of 112 pages.
-
Worsening conditions inside Syria and the region fuel despair, driving thousands towards Europe
8 Sep 2015 ... GENEVA, Sept 8 (UNHCR) - Deteriorating conditions in Syria and neighbouring countries are driving ... "Inside Syria, the last few months have been brutal," UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a ...... -
Syrian refugees breathe new life into shrinking German village
9 Feb 2017 ... part of community life. “It was no life there in Syria, we were all so scared all of the time. ... a reception class. “It was no life there in Syria, we were all so scared all of the time." “A ...... -
Needs great, conditions dire in Homs and other Syrian cities
30 Oct 2013 ... HOMS, Syria, October 30 (UNHCR) - A top UNHCR official visiting war-battered Homs this week said that while the refugee agency is helping tens of thousands of people survive inside Syria, the ...... -
Donor nations pledge US$2.4 billion at Kuwait meet for Syrians in need
15 Jan 2014 ... humanitarian needs generated by the crisis in Syria, said a joint press release issued at the end ... 9.3 million women, children and men in need in Syria and 2.3 million refugees who have sought ...... -
Syria refugee outflow to neighbouring countries growing fast
17 Aug 2012 ... The number of arrivals is also rising sharply in Jordan, with 1,080 crossing the border from Syria ... In all, 15,096 refugees from Syria are now in Iraq, more than 10,000 of them hosted in Kurdistan. Of ...... -
Syria: Doubling of refugees fleeing to Jordan
28 Aug 2012 ... Many refugees report being displaced up to five or six times inside Syria before they fled the ... Some children report that their parents have died, or are staying behind in Syria to look after ...... -
As war enters 7th year, UNHCR warns Syria is 'at a crossroads'
9 Mar 2017 ... “Unless drastic measures are taken to shore up peace and security for Syria, the situation will worsen.” In Syria, 13.5 million need humanitarian aid; 6.3 million are displaced internally; ...... -
Syria Regional Response Plan Update 5 - Annex 1
6 Jun 2013 ... Syria regional reSponSe plan - JanUary to DeCeMBer 2013 Response plan foR Hosting syRians by tHe goveRnment of JoRdan 1 apRil 2013 Since the beginning of the crisis in Syria in March 2011 till the end ...... -
Donors pledge more than US$6 billion for Syrians, hosts
6 Apr 2017 ... assistance in Syria and the surrounding region in 2017. The announcement came at the close of the two-day ‘Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,’ which ......