UNHCR redefines role in Greece as EU-Turkey deal comes into effect
This past Sunday, the provisions agreed between the EU and Turkey to stem the large-scale arrival of refugees and migrants to Greece and beyond into Europe came into effect. Starting already on Saturday, the Greek authorities accelerated the transfer to the mainland...
UNHCR on EU-Turkey deal: Asylum safeguards must prevail in implementation
UNHCR notes today’s agreement between the European Union and Turkey on the situation of refugees and migrants seeking to make their way to Europe. We recognize the shared need of countries to find properly managed solutions to this situation. Indeed UNHCR has on...
Syria conflict at 5 years: the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time demands a huge surge in solidarity
As Syria’s war reaches another grim milestone today, refugees fleeing the 5-year conflict face greater hurdles to finding safety while international solidarity with its victims is failing to match and reflect the scale and seriousness of the humanitarian tragedy....
UNHCR’s reaction to Statement of the EU Heads of State and Government of Turkey, 7 March
UNHCR has taken note of the Statement of the EU Heads of State and Government of Turkey last night and we are concerned with some aspects of the proposal. Turkey hosts close to 3 million refugees and has made enormous contributions for years and just recently adopted...
UNHCR: 6 steps towards solving the refugee situation in Europe
Ahead of a meeting of heads of state or government of the European Union (EU) with Turkey on 7 March in Brussels, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has today issued recommendations aimed at helping States solve the refugee situation in Europe. “We are running out of time,...
UNHCR concerned by buildup along borders and additional hardships for refugees and asylum seekers
UNHCR is concerned by recent restrictive practices adopted in a number of European countries that are placing additional undue hardships on refugees and asylum-seekers across Europe, creating chaos at several border points, and putting particular pressure on Greece as...
Refugees And MOI Staff Benefit From Unhcr Aid
Two family pavilions that can accommodate 530 refugees, a children’s corner, two consulting rooms for medical cases, and a laundry room were opened inside the tobacco factory of the Preševo Reception Centre on 16 February. Rehabilitation of the factory started...
With growing numbers of child deaths at sea, UN agencies call for enhancing safety for refugees and migrants
An average of two children have drowned every day since September 2015 as their families try to cross the eastern Mediterranean, and the number of child deaths is growing said IOM, UNHCR, and UNICEF. The agencies are calling for enhancing the safety of those escaping...
UNHCR concerned by violence at Greek border, calls for improved security
UNHCR is deeply concerned about the tension and violence at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and calls on the authorities of both countries to manage the border in a manner consistent with human rights and refugee-protection...