10 years on: Remembering solidarity

Ten years ago, I was following the news from afar, when I saw thousands of women, men and children arriving on Greece’s shores seeking safety. I saw exhaustion, trauma and deep uncertainty. But I also saw the resilience of refugees and the courage of countless Greeks who, together with my UNHCR colleagues and others rushed to help without hesitation. I felt sadness and anger for those who waged a war that left so many people with no option but to leave. But I also felt pride. Pride and appreciation for the humanity and solidarity that emerged before anyone had time to prepare.

A decade later, it is widely recognized that Greece lived through an extraordinary experience. The scale of arrivals in 2015 was unprecedented in recent European history. Local communities already facing economic hardship suddenly found themselves at the forefront of a global displacement crisis.

Yet even amid strain, something remarkable happened. Ordinary people became a lifeline for families who had lost everything overnight. Fishermen, lifeguards and volunteers saved lives at sea. Neighbours, priests, teachers and doctors offered warmth, dignity and compassion when there was little to spare. Municipalities, civil society, national authorities, European institutions and humanitarian organisations, including UNHCR, worked together to stabilize a rapidly evolving situation. Greece carried a huge responsibility on behalf of Europe when it mattered most. And it rose to the challenge.

Ten years on, thousands of stories have continued past the shoreline. Many of the children who arrived in 2015 are now students, skilled employees, entrepreneurs - even Mayors - in their new communities across Europe. Their stories speak for themselves. When refugees are protected, when they are given the chance to learn, work and participate, they enrich societies. They become part of them – many even become nationals of the country that hosted them. Their lives challenge the narrow narrative of refugees as “numbers”, “flows” or even “threats”. They remind us that the refugee experience is, above all, about rebuilding a life with dignity after losing it all.

But the story is far from over. People continue to risk their lives in dangerous sea crossings. Wars and instability still force families to flee. Strengthened rescue-at-sea efforts, safer routes and more support to first asylum and transit countries are needed urgently. Working for peace, solving conflicts and addressing the human rights violations that force people to flee remains essential.

We face these ongoing challenges at a time when the humanitarian sector faces a critical funding crisis. Needs are rising, but resources are shrinking. If solidarity was the defining value of 2015, sustaining it must be the call of 2025.

*This is a translation of an op-ed hosted in Greek at the newspaper TA NEA on 1 November 2025 in the context of a feature on the 10^thanniversary from the refugee emergency in Greece in 2015.