Refugee sea arrivals in Greece this year approach 400,000
Refugee sea arrivals in Greece this year approach 400,000
ATHENS, Greece, October 2 (UNHCR) -- The UN refugee agency said on Friday that refugee and migrant arrivals in Greece are expected to hit the 400,000 mark soon, despite adverse weather conditions. Greece remains by far the largest single entry point for new sea arrivals in the Mediterranean, followed by Italy with 131,000 arrivals so far in 2015.
With the new figures from Greece, the total number of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year is nearly 530,000. In September, 168,000 people crossed the Mediterranean, the highest monthly figure ever recorded and almost five times the number in September 2014.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva that the continuing high rate of arrivals underlines the need for a fast implementation of Europe's relocation programme, jointly with the establishment of robust facilities to receive, assist, register and screen all people arriving by sea. "These are steps needed for stabilizing the crisis," he said.
As of this morning, a total of 396,500 people have entered Greece by sea since the beginning of the year, more than 153,000 of them in September alone. The nine-month 2015 total compares to 43,500 such arrivals in Greece in all of 2014. Ninety-seven per cent are from the world's top 10 refugee-producing countries, led by Syria (70 per cent), Afghanistan (18 per cent) and Iraq (4 per cent).
"There was a noticeable drop in sea arrivals this week, along with the change in the weather," Edwards said, adding that on Sept. 25, for example, there were some 6,600 arrivals. The next day, it dropped to around 2,200. "From an average of around 5,000 arrivals per day recently, it has fallen to some 3,300 over the past six days with just 1,500 yesterday. Nevertheless, any improvement in the weather is likely to bring another surge in sea arrivals."
The current cooler, windy weather has made the crossing from Turkey to Greece even more perilous. Yesterday, there were at least two rescue operations in waters off Lesvos. On Wednesday, there were four separate rescue operations on Lesvos in which 283 people were recovered. But the death of a woman and a young boy brought the total toll of dead and missing in Greek waters to at least 102 this year. In all, nearly 3,000 people have died or gone missing this year crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
"The pace and scale of the movement into Greece continues to put enormous pressure on the government and many communities," the UNHCR spokesman said.
While authorities have worked to improve reception and registration facilities and operations on the islands, bottlenecks still occur. In spite of these efforts the registration process should be enhanced and fully consistent with applicable European Union norms for all arrivals. Despite daily ferry departures carrying between 3,000 and 6,000 refugees and migrants from the islands to Athens, new arrivals continue and island ports can still be crowded with some 10,000-14,000 people on any given day awaiting transfer.
UNHCR is concerned that the lack of reception capacity in Greece could seriously jeopardize the relocation programme agreed upon by the European Council, as eligible refugees have nowhere to stay while awaiting relocation. If this is not immediately addressed secondary movements to neighbouring countries are likely to continue.
UNHCR continues to boost its capacity in Greece and currently has some 120 staff across the country. The agency's efforts are focused on supporting and working with local authorities, NGOs and the central government to improve the response; supporting the registration process; providing information to refugees; identifying and referring people with specific needs; and providing support to help improve reception conditions. UNHCR is also delivering basic humanitarian assistance.
By Ron Redmond in Athens, Greece
Related news and stories
Ukraine's refugees find long-term support in Europe's host countries
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
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR, IOM welcome Spain's expedited resettlement of Syrian refugees from Türkiye in earthquake aftermath
Your search for « greece » matched 2816 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 11 of 112 pages.
-
Guidance
... Rosemary Vasquez - Interviewing Children Guidance - Inter-Agency Case Transfer (Greece) (EN) Community Support Volunteers for UASC Toolkit (AR) Community Support Volunteers for UASC Toolkit (EN) ...... -
Numbers of refugee arrivals to Greece increase dramatically
18 Aug 2015 ... The number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece is accelerating dramatically and has now reached the 160,000 mark. The latest figures compiled by UNHCR in Greece show the number of sea arrivals ...... -
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt visits Greece
16 Mar 2016 ... Greece today on behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. The Special Envoy's mission will concentrate on the humanitarian situation of thousands of refugee families in Greece, ...... -
UNHCR Country Operations Plan 2002 - Greece
1 Aug 2001 ... GREECE 2002 COUNTRY OPERATIONS PLAN Part I: Executive Committee Summary Part I: Executive Committee Summary Breakdown of content (a) Context and Themes: Greece, being a Member State of the European ...... -
UNHCR chief Guterres backs planned Greek asylum reform
20 Jan 2010 ... ATHENS, Greece, January 20 (UNHCR) - UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres on Wednesday welcomed plans by the Greek government to undertake an ambitious reform of the country's asylum ...... -
UNHCR boosts presence in Greek islands to cope with soaring refugee arrivals
5 Jun 2015 ... presence in the eastern Aegean islands of Greece where sea arrivals in recent weeks from Turkey ... In the first five months of this year, more than 42,000 people arrived by sea in Greece, most of ...... -
UNHCR assists refugees at Greece-FYR Macedonia border, reiterates readiness to help affected governments
23 Aug 2015 ... in the past three days at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ... after managing to cross from Greece to FYR Macedonia and take a train at the town of Gevgelija. ...... -
Greece must act to end dangerous overcrowding in island reception centres, EU support crucial
1 Oct 2019 ... UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is today calling on Greece to urgently move thousands of asylum-seekers out of dangerously overcrowded reception centres on the Greek Aegean islands. Sea arrivals in ...... -
Inditex
... About the partnership Since: 2020 Location: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Greece, Rwanda, Spain, Turkey ... were donated to support people forced to flee arriving in Spain (Canary Islands), Greece and Turkey. ......