Daily Report
Arrivals and Departures
During the period of 2-8 May, media sources reported that some 272 people were apprehended, intercepted and/or rescued near Turkey’s shores. Their nationalities were mainly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian, and Uzbek. According statistics from Turkish Land Forces, 255 people were apprehended at Turkey’s land borders (112 at the Turkey - Bulgaria border and 143 at the Turkey - Greek border).
Condition of People
On 9 May, the Mayor of Lagkada, Yannis Karagiannis, visited the Lagadikia facility. UNHCR is supporting the Greek authorities with the management of this accommodation site; with support from the Danish Refugee Council. As of 10 May, the site hosts 620 people of which 88% are Syrian nationals and 12% are from Iraq. Most people were transferred from the Eidomeni makeshift site and EKO gas station. The Mayor of Lagkada noted the satisfactory living standards, the adequate healthcare and the good cooperation of UNHCR with local authorities. He also mentioned to the mediathat the facility operated in an exemplary manner. He specified that the authorities will enhance garbage collection and staff presence.
The Greek Asylum Service will launch an “asylum app” that will provide access to various information (asylum procedure, but also facts on Greece and weather) by the beginning of July. A team from the Harokopio University works together with experts of the Asylum Service registering the needs of refugees and adapting the application to their profile. By using the app, which will be available in nine languages, people will also be able to see the date of the next available Skype appointment.
Critical Development
The prospects for a trilateral cooperationin sectors such as security, the refugee crisis, culture, energy, and water resources management will be the focus of a trilateral meeting between Greece, Cyprus, and Lebanon to be held at the Foreign Ministry in Athens on Wednesday, 11 May. During the meeting, matters concerning relations between the EU and Lebanon, such as refugee resettlement, will be discussed as well.
UNHCR in Greece will actively participate at this year’s conferenceon the “future of healthcare in Greece” to take place on Tuesday 17 May in Athens. Leading political and healthcare stakeholders, together with representatives from WHO, OECD, World Bank, European Committee, and EIB, as well as government and industry representatives, and renowned academics, will debate inter alia the issue of the current refugee and migrant crisis and its healthcare implications.
