Europe Emergency
Persecution, conflict and poverty forced over 1 million people to flee to Europe in 2015. Many came seeking safety for themselves and their families, risking their lives and facing a treacherous journey.
Half of those crossing the Mediterranean in 2015 were Syrians escaping the war at home.
Over 292,000
have risked their lives to reach Europe by sea so far in 2016
More than 3,200
feared drowned so far in 2016
Updated September 2016
"I am breathing finally… We almost drowned in the sea from Turkey to Greece."
Aya, Syrian refugee in Munich
The ongoing conflict and violence in Syria, Iraq and other parts of the world is causing large-scale displacement and refugees are seeking safety beyond the immediate region. The lack of an increased number of legal pathways leaves so many people fleeing persecution with few choices, including many trying to reunite with family members in Europe. In 2015, and the first months of 2016, almost 1.2 million refugees and migrants reached European shores, most fleeing conflict and persecution. Many lost their lives or saw loves ones perished at sea in their attempt to reach safety. An increasing number of families, women, and unaccompanied children undertook perilous journeys across several countries and often faced exploitation on the hands of smugglers.
"The simple truth is that refugees would not risk their lives on a journey so dangerous if they could thrive where they are."
Melissa Fleming, UNHCR
What is UNHCR doing to help?
To respond to this emergency, UNHCR mobilised over 600 staff and resources in 20 different locations to provide life-saving assistance and protection. This include provision of humanitarian assistance, efforts to improve accommodation and shelter during the winter months, establishing 24/7 presence at all countries’ entry points and in a number of exit points to ensure continuous protection monitoring and intervention, efforts to reunite separated families, and identification of persons with specific needs, including separated and unaccompanied children, and referral to appropriate services. UNHCR has also called upon European States and others to act collectively with responsibility and solidarity, in line with their international obligations.
Following the closure of borders in countries in the Western Balkans in early March, UNHCR began immediately shifting resources to increase reception capacity and services to the more than 55,000 asylum-seekers and refugees now in Greece in support of the efforts of the Greek authorities.
Together, with your support, we can give millions the help they so desperately need.
In photos: Arriving in Europe
14 September 2015
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At sunset a group of mostly Syrian refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesvos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. © UNHCR/I.Prickett -
A refugee from Aleppo, Syria, collapses from seasickness and fatigue after the journey from Turkey to Lesvos. She is travelling with her husband and three children. © UNHCR/I.Prickett -
Syrian refugee Nogeen, 16, waits to be carried from the shoreline to the road after landing on the Greek island of Lesvos with her older sister Nisreen. They fled Aleppo with their parents over two years ago and had been living in Turkey before deciding to seek better medical care for Nogeen in Europe. After a very rough crossing, which left most of the passengers cold and terrified, Nogeen seemed calm and happy. Speaking fluent English, she described the journey: "I enjoyed it. I have never been on a boat before. It was very beautiful. I didn't know if I was going to live or die, but thanks to God we are here." © UNHCR/I.Prickett -
Syrian refugee Asmaa cradles her six-month-old baby, Osman, with her son Abdul-Rahman, 5, close by. Asmaa and her husband, Omar, fled their home near Damascus over six weeks ago, travelling through Lebanon and Turkey before crossing the Aegean Sea to Greece. When its engine cut off, their overcrowded vessel began to take on water. Passengers threw their luggage overboard in a desperate bid to stay afloat. Asmaa's family lost everything, including their passports and what little cash they had. © UNHCR/I.Prickett -
A young Afghan boy sits on his father's shoulders in the scorching mid-day sun on the border between Greece and fYR Macedonia. The group of refugees and migrants had been kept waiting for days by Greek police and were growing increasingly impatient to cross into fYR Macedonia. © UNHCR/I.Prickett -
In Horgos, Serbia, a mother and her three children walk along a road towards a railway line that will lead them to Hungary. © UNHCR/A.McConnell -
Refugees walk along an old railway line, just after crossing from Serbia into Hungary. © UNHCR/M.Henley -
During a brief bus stop a Syrian woman picks cobs of corn from a field in Serbia. The group are travelling north to the Hungarian border. © UNHCR/A.McConnell -
As night falls and temperatures drop, refugees camp outside the overcrowded registration centre in Röszke, Hungary, close to the Serbian border. © UNHCR/M.Henley -
In Hungary, newly arrived refugees and migrants are accompanied by police on the road to the registration centre. Many had hoped to continue on from the border to Budapest and were chanting, "Budapest, Budapest..." © UNHCR/M.Henley -
Hoping to continue walking on to Budapest, newly arrived refugees and migrants are stopped by police and eventually convinced to spend the night outside an overcrowded registration centre in Hungary. © UNHCR/M.Henley -
During discussions with police, two refugees decided to leave the group and continue onto the highway to Budapest. They were eventually convinced to come to the registration centre, but slept outside as the centre was overcrowded. © UNHCR/M.Henley -
Seated, from left to right, Faiz, 13, Nour Aldin, 9, Hind, 10, Abderrahmane, 10, and Shahid, 9, arrived in Austria after travelling for 25 days through Turkey, Greece, fYR Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary. They fled with their family from Damascus, Syria. © UNHCR/M.Schöppl -
A train filled with refugees and migrants arrives in Munich's central station on platform 17. Police escorted new arrivals to an area set up for medical checks. © UNHCR/G.Welters -
Local volunteers in Munich hand out bags filled with practical items to refugees and migrants arriving at the train station. © UNHCR/G.Welters -
UNHCR staff are now on the ground in Hungary to greet people as they arrive from Serbia. Thousands of mostly Syrian refugees are crossing this border every day. © UNHCR/O.Laban-Mattei -
Mahmoud, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo, plays with his son Jawad, 4, in front of their tent in Hungary. © UNHCR/O.Laban-Mattei
