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 12 of 112 pages.
-
Muazzez Ersoy
... Her mother’s family came from the Salonika region of Greece but was forced to leave for Turkey in ... She regularly supported the work of UNHCR in Greece through public statements and media, raising ...... -
Greek Volunteers share UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award
6 Sep 2016 ... of the most vulnerable refugees arriving on Greek shores, are the joint 2016 winners of the UN ... a community-run accommodation area on the Greek island of Lesvos were both chosen for their ...... -
Numbers of refugee arrivals to Greece increase dramatically
18 Aug 2015 ... GENEVA, Aug 18 (UNHCR) - More refugees and migrants arrived in Greece last month than during the ... UNHCR said that in July 50,242 people, mostly fleeing the conflict in Syria, arrived in Greece ...... -
UNHCR says asylum situation in Greece is 'a humanitarian crisis'
21 Sep 2010 ... UNHCR is today calling on Greece to urgently accelerate implementation of its planned asylum reform. This is in light of the continued absence in Greece of a functioning asylum system, an issue with ...... -
UNHCR urges EU investment in asylum support for Greece
26 Oct 2010 ... that the Greek Government has requested the deployment of Rapid Border Intervention Teams from FRONTEX, the EU's Border Management Agency, to assist at the land border between Turkey and Greece. ...... -
UNHCR welcomes asylum process reforms in Greece, but more needs to be done
30 Jan 2015 ... GENEVA, January 30 (UNHCR) - The UN refugee agency on Friday commended Greece for reforming its ... should still not return asylum-seekers to Greece, extending advice first given in 2008. As well ...... -
UNHCR warns of deepening refugee crisis in Greece and calls for urgent and bold action
7 Aug 2015 ... The UNHCR Directors of the Bureau for Europe and of Emergency, Security and Supply, visited Greece ... This humanitarian emergency is happening in Europe, and requires an urgent Greek and European ...... -
Refugee sea arrivals in Greece this year approach 400,000
2 Oct 2015 ... 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. ...... -
A Good Samaritan in Greece
6 Jul 2015 ... A Good Samaritan in Greece: More than 26,000 refugees have arrived in Lesvos since January. Many ... Overhead on the Greek island of Lesvos, swallows fly in and out of a nest on the wall. He wears a ......