Highlights
IOM has published a response plan to provide lifesaving emergency interventions, with a total funding requirement of USD 3.95 million.
At the Miratovac green border camp, IOM provides advice and transport assistance to vulnerable migrants and refugees to reach the registration camp which is 15 km away.
IOM has completed reconstruction activities for containers provided by the government at the transit site in Gevglija.
Situation Overview
In recent months, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have both witnessed a sharp surge in the numbers of people arriving at and transiting through their borders. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 120,000 people have arrived in Serbia, with nearly 70% of the arrivals coming from Syria, while others are from Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia. While the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Serbia continues to soar with an average of 3,500 daily arrivals, the government’s capacity to carry out registration and fingerprinting remains limited to 1,500 a day.
On 20 August, the government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declared a state of emergency due to the increased migration flows into its southern border with Greece. According to the Ministry of Interior, between 19 June and 7 September 2015, a total of 64,522 migrants were registered, out of which 43,671 male; 8,857 female; 10,386 children (accompanied by a family member) and 1,608 unaccompanied minors. The current average arrival rate at the southern border is estimated at more than 3,000 per day and the government is faced with difficulties in addressing the basic needs of those arriving.
The authorities and local communities are finding it difficult to cope with the high numbers of migrant and refugee arrivals. An urgent response from the humanitarian community is needed before the situation further deteriorates. IOM staff have been deployed to the most affected locations at the border between Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in order to provide assistance, including advice and transport assistance to new arrivals, specifically for unaccompanied minors, women with children and migrants with specific needs