• Text size Normal size text | Increase text size by 10% | Increase text size by 20% | Increase text size by 30%

UNHCR ramping up support on Greece's Lesvos, focus on sea rescue and improved reception

Briefing Notes, 13 November 2015

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 13 November 2015, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Despite dangerous sea conditions, the number of refugees and migrants arriving on Lesvos continues to be high, at an average of 3,300 people per day so far in November. Of the 660,000 refugees and migrants who have reached Greece this year more than half have landed at Lesvos. With winter approaching, reception conditions and capacity there remain overstretched and inadequate.

So far in 2015, some 3,460 lives have been lost on the Mediterranean, 360 in the last four weeks (some 250 of these in the Aegean Greek territorial waters). UNHCR is working with the Hellenic Coast Guard to facilitate the deployment of additional experienced life guards and has provided equipment to support the on-going rescue efforts on Lesvos.

In light of the continuing strains on Lesvos, UNHCR is establishing presences at six strategic locations along the island's north shore to provide newly-arriving refugees with immediate life-saving help, working with volunteers and our new medical NGO partner WAHA (Women and Health Alliance International), whose capacity is also being enhanced. This will be in addition to the existing assembly points where UNHCR and partners already provide places to rest, clothes, food, clean water and medical support. Eight buses and three mini vans are being used to transport new arrivals from the beaches to the reception sites, and this will be expanded as required.

We are also appealing to the authorities to create additional accommodation and reception capacity as a matter of urgency. There are only 2,800 reception places for the 12,000 refugees and migrants currently on the island. As a result, many people, including women, children and new-born babies have no choice but to sleep outside, lighting fires to keep themselves warm. This situation creates additional protection and safety concerns and is a cause of tension with the local community.

Urgent improvements to facilities for refugees in the island's east at Moria and Kara Tape, under the respective responsibility of the police and the municipality, are also needed, including lighting, latrines and heating as well as site management. For the time being, refugees have to find themselves a place where to sleep in the few shelters available creating conditions for the "strongest" to find a shelter to the detriment of persons with specific needs. UNHCR, partners and volunteers have to constantly intervene to prevent these situations from happening. It is critical to designate a site manager with the appropriate authority and resources.

At Kara Tape there have been improvements in living conditions, thanks to the efforts of the municipality with the support of UNHCR (including through the provision of 172 refugee housing units and 38 tents) and other humanitarian actors. However, conditions at the Moria site remain below minimum standards. UNHCR stands ready to assist the authorities to further improve and expand reception capacity.

In addition to these actions, UNHCR staffing on Lesvos is being increased. Thirteen additional staff have been deployed, many speaking the language of the refugees, and bringing the total staff on Lesvos to 30. We have brought in more humanitarian aid with 295,000 relief items, including 37,000 blankets to keep people warm, over 45,000 coats to protect people from rain, as well as hygiene and baby care kits, sleeping mats and plastic sheeting. These are being distributed by NGOs and volunteers. In addition to supporting the work of different NGOs, UNHCR is helping volunteers with accommodation, and storage for goods and humanitarian aid. NGOs and volunteers have been playing an essential frontline role on Lesvos and UNHCR is working with the municipality to improve coordination among humanitarian actors.

Proper reception is essential for protecting refugees and migrants, and vital for effective management of the situation. The recent agreement as part of the Leaders' meeting on the Western Balkans route on 25 October on establishing more reception places in Greece will be a key factor in stabilizing the situation, but fast implementation is needed. UNHCR is working with the EU and Member States to support this initiative.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

  • In Athens, Aikaterini Kitidi on mobile +30 693 711 5656
  • In Geneva, Adrian Edwards on mobile +41 79 557 9120
  • In Geneva, Karin de Gruijl on mobile +41 79 255 9213
• DONATE NOW •

 

• GET INVOLVED • • STAY INFORMED •

Related stories by:

UNHCR country pages

George Dalaras

George Dalaras

The makeshift camp at Patras

Thousands of irregular migrants, some of whom are asylum-seekers and refugees, have sought shelter in a squalid, makeshift camp close to the Greek port of Patras since it opened 13 years ago. The camp consisted of shelters constructed from cardboard and wood and housed hundreds of people when it was closed by the Greek government in July 2009. UNHCR had long maintained that it did not provide appropriate accommodation for asylum-seekers and refugees. The agency had been urging the government to find an alternative and put a stronger asylum system in place to provide appropriate asylum reception facilities for the stream of irregular migrants arriving in Greece each year.The government used bulldozers to clear the camp, which was destroyed by a fire shortly afterwards. All the camp residents had earlier been moved and there were no casualties. Photographer Zalmaï, a former refugee from Afghanistan, visited the camp earlier in the year.

The makeshift camp at Patras

Beyond the Border

In 2010, the Turkish border with Greece became the main entry point for people attempting by irregular methods to reach member states of the European Union, with over 132,000 arrivals. While some entered as migrants with the simple wish of finding a better life, a significant number fled violence or persecution in countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia. The journey is perilous, with many reports of drowning when people board flimsy vessels and try to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the River Evros on the border between Greece and Turkey. The many deficiencies in the Greek asylum system are exacerbated by the pressure of tens of thousands of people awaiting asylum hearings. Reception facilities for new arrivals, including asylum-seekers, are woefully inadequate. Last year, UNHCR visited a number of overcrowded facilities where children, men and women were detained in cramped rooms with insufficient facilities. UNHCR is working with the Greek government to improve its asylum system and has called upon other European states to offer support.

Beyond the Border

Greece: Coordinating volunteers on LesvosPlay video

Greece: Coordinating volunteers on Lesvos

To help manage an influx of people arriving on the Greek Islands by boat, volunteer organizations and hundreds of individual volunteers have stepped in. One of UNHCR's roles on Lesvos is to work with the volunteers and coordinate their efforts.
Greece: Ramping up refugee receptionPlay video

Greece: Ramping up refugee reception

UNHCR staff are working with Government authorities, NGOs and volunteers on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesvos to receive cold, wet and fearful asylum seekers making landfall around the clock. They wrap them in thermal blankets and take them to warm, safe emergency accommodation at transit sites, with power and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Serbia: Presevo Crossing from FYR MacedoniaPlay video

Serbia: Presevo Crossing from FYR Macedonia

On October 20, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece passed the half million mark. Their ultimate destination is northern Europe. The majority will take a route that goes from Greece, to FYR Macedonia and then onward through Serbia. At the border point of Presevo, Serbia they must go through a registration process before being allowed to continue their onward journey.