HIGHLIGHTS
25,112
People that have benefitted from alternatives to camps in UNHCR accommodation since the beginning of the programme
19,124
UNHCR accommodation places currently active as alternatives to camps 704 Accommodation places for unaccompanied children established by UNHCR in Greece since the beginning of the programme
1,168
Asylum-seekers transferred from the islands to improved accommodation on the mainland in state run sites or UNHCR accommodation
28,000
Core Relief Items distributed to 13,000 people directly and through partners
360,000
Core Relief Items distributed since the beginning of October 2016
4,000
People accommodated in 738 prefabricated houses installed across Greece
42
Inter-agency coordination working groups established, chaired/cochaired by UNHCR at country and field levels
OPERATIONAL CONTEXT
Severe cold and heavy snow storms swept across Greece for much of January, dramatically intensifying challenges faced by refugees and migrants, deteriorating living conditions and causing infrastructural damage in a number of sites. The Aegean islands, particularly Lesvos and Samos, suffered extreme weather. Conditions greatly deteriorated due to overcrowding and sub-standard shelter in the two Reception and Identification Centres (RICs) of Moria and Vathy. On January 10, a State of Emergency linked to the cold temperatures was announced for the Evros region in the North East.
Improving living conditions for refugees and migrants continued to be the number one priority for humanitarian actors in Greece. UNHCR actively supported the Greek Government, under the coordination of the Ministry for Migration Policy (MoMP), in moving people to improved accommodation, and intensified efforts to install prefabricated houses, heaters, and distribute winter core relief items such as blankets, sleeping bags, winter clothes, and footwear both in the mainland and at the islands.
The Greek government estimated some 62,401 refugees and migrants were staying in 40 state-run sites and UNHCR accommodation, including 47,426 on the mainland and 14,975 on the Aegean islands.
UNHCR, directly and through partners, distributed over 28,000 Core Relief Items to nearly 13,000 people on five islands and three sites on the mainland, in January 2017. Since early October, UNHCR has delivered over 360,000 essential items, including for winter on seven islands and 47 sites across Greece.
On mainland Greece, works were completed in the 15 sites the Government assigned to UNHCR for winter preparedness. Tents in eight of the sites were replaced with prefabricated houses and two were evacuated completely.
On the islands, UNHCR continued to provide improved accommodation, winter kits, and installed heaters and insulations. Across Greece, over 4,000 people had been accommodated in 783 pre-fabricated houses in an ongoing effort to upgrade shelter in sites.
Under its humanitarian response to winter, UNHCR assisted authorities in the transfer of 1,400 people from the Greek Islands to improved shelter on the mainland and UNHCR’s Relocation and Accommodation Scheme. Countrywide, a total of 25,112 people had benefitted from UNHCR accommodation by the end of January and 19,129 places were available.
On 9 January, in the midst of severe weather conditions on Lesvos, UNHCR, in coordination with authorities and in collaboration with local partner Iliaktida, evacuated 130 people from Moria to hotels on the island. In coordination with the Greek Government, vulnerable asylum-seekers registered with the Asylum Service were accommodated in hotels until they received appropriate documentation to travel and continue their asylum process on the mainland. All pregnant women and babies, elderly and people with disabilities or serious medical conditions, and families with children living in tents were transferred to hotels. UNHCR Lesvos prioritized and transferred 683 from RIC Moria to improved accommodation at the Kara Tepe site, private accommodation, and about 170 people to a navy vessel provided by the Greek Government as an emergency measure for protection from the cold. On board the vessel, UNHCR provided humanitarian coordination support and ensured protection monitoring. In collaboration with partners, UNHCR increased warm spaces on Lesvos by erecting 4 rubb halls, insulating UNHCR tents and flooring, including with wooden pallets provided by the army. UNHCR’s partner Samaritan’s Purse added gravel to parts of RIC Moria that had been flooded. Also at RIC Moria, approximately 80 family tents were insulated by UNHCR through Samaritan’s Purse.
UNHCR Chios, through Samaritan’s Purse, distributed 416 blankets and 312 sleeping bags to people accommodated in UNHCR tents and on the beach at Souda. Heaters were installed in all accommodation units. At RIC Vial, a kiosk-style distribution point was set up for winter items. Electrical heaters were also installed. On Kos, UNHCR through Samaritan’s Purse, installed flooring, insulated, lined, and installed heaters in 19 family tents in the annex area outside RIC Pyli. UNHCR also repaired electrical connections in 12 containers at the RIC to ensure the functioning of their heaters, including in six housing units for unaccompanied children. On Leros, UNHCR and Samaritan’s Purse installed walls and diesel heaters in the RIC reception area, repaired over 50 windows, and distributed 2,078 winter items.
On the mainland, UNHCR Attica delivered electrical portable heaters in Elliniko I and Schisto in an effort to mitigate the effects of sub-zero temperatures. UNHCR urgently installed an electrical power connection in Schisto allowing residents to use heating and WASH facilities without shortages. UNHCR Attica continued to facilitate safe transportation of people arriving from the islands to sites on mainland Greece. Transportation activities, coordinated with authorities and partners, were provided from 14 sites under UNHCR Attica for asylum-seeker appointments to the respective asylum offices.
In North Greece, authorities with support from UNHCR and partners, transferred 612 people from the warehouse sites of Sindos-Frankapor, SK Market - Kalochori, Sindos-Karamanlis, and Oreokastro to hotels. The transferred people were relocation candidates and vulnerable asylumseekers, particularly families. On 12 January, UNHCR fully evacuated Vagiochori, the only remaining tented site. Some 44 people were moved to hotels. With Petra Olympou, Kipselohori and Tsepelovo, this was the fourth site to be completely vacated by UNHCR.
In Elliniko, UNHCR identified and received referrals of seriously vulnerable families and individuals in urgent need of better accommodation, and sought ad hoc solutions with partners in the site.
In January 2017, UNHCR and its implementing partners provided cash assistance to over 24,000 people of concern in UNHCR supported accommodation and in 13 sites across Greece. The validation of eligible people in UNHCR’s new proGres v4 database continued in order to prepare for the rollout of UNHCRmanaged cash cards in target locations.
The UNHCR Assistant Representative (Operations) held a breakfast meeting with international and national media, presenting UNHCR Greece achievements and engagement. Mr Giovanni Lepri, explained the work of UNHCR, the role in upgrading infrastructure and shelter in sites, assistance in transfers of people from the islands to the mainland, and the management and implementation of over 90% of planned operations with European Commission funding. The UNHCR Assistant Representative also underlined UNHCR’s humanitarian response to winter in 15 of 40 sites, as assigned by the Government of Greece. Mr Lepri also explained the support role of UNHCR in Greece, where the Government and the European Union were leading the response.
In Greece, it is estimated that there were 1,393 sea arrivals on the Aegean Islands in January. This constituted a sharp decrease compared to the 67,415 people who arrived in January 2016, but remained at the levels of December 2016 when 1,665 arrived.
In the South Dodecanese islands, on Kastelorizo, 264 people, mostly from refugee producing countries arrived in January. This followed a trend of increased arrivals to the island that had begun in December 2016. Significant concerns arose from the lack of reception facilities there and the overwhelmed capacity on Rhodes, where many Kastelorizo arrivals were transferred. On Rhodes, new arrivals were accommodated in a dilapidated building, a former slaughterhouse, at Sfageia, where very basic amenities were available and support was provided by local volunteers. Conditions there deteriorated daily, particularly with inclement weather and lack of heating. UNHCR supported efforts by local volunteers at Sfageia through the distribution of winter items, transfers to improved shelter, and protection monitoring.
In the view of the decreasing number of arrivals overall and the slow pace of asylum procedures, UNHCR planned ahead for a sustainable reception system by reducing the use of larger sites and transferring people to more suitable accommodation. Greek data and UN estimates showed a considerable decrease to about 40 arrivals a day in January 2017, compared with peaks of more than 6,000 a day in 2015. The shift towards urban accommodation as compared to sites, will continue in 2017.