Summary of the appeal
This operations update is to report on the implementation progress of the activities under the revised Emergency Appeal as well as inform a budget revision from CHF 12,670,715 to CHF 13,172,336. This revision is based on needs identified - mainly changes to IFRC staff structure for this operation and budget revisions for beneficiary communications. See revised budget here
From January 2015 onwards: Increasing numbers of people arriving to Greece. The number of migrants arriving on Greek shores soared by 750 percent over the first seven months of 2015, compared with the same period last year. The number of arrivals at the sea border between Greece and Turkey has been increasing steadily following the construction of a fence in the Evros region between Turkey and Greece in 2012. As of July 2015 a flow of around 1,000–1,500 people have been reported daily, mostly to the North Aegean and Dodecanese Islands.1
22 May 2015: CHF 296,549 was released from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to meet the immediate needs of 10,000 migrants arriving in the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Chios, Lesvos, Samos and Crete.
DREF Report here. 24 July 2015: DREF Operations Update published to report against the DREF plan and provide an overview on the evolving situation.
By August 2015, about 200,000 migrants registered as having arrived in Greece by boat from Turkey. In July alone 50,000 new arrivals are reported in Greece, 20,000 more than the previous month, mainly on the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos and Leros.
2 September 2015: Emergency Appeal launched for CHF 3.03 million for 45,000 beneficiaries. The following geographical areas have been prioritized to be supported by the Emergency Appeal operation in islands of Lesvos, Samos, Kos, the capital city of Athens and the border area between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
21 October 2015: DREF funds reimbursed. Based on the continuous monitoring and assessment of the situation, a Revised Emergency Appeal launched for CHF 12.67 million for 200,000 beneficiaries in islands of Lesvos, Samos, Kos, Chios, the capital city of Athens and Idomeni as crossing point to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Situation
Greece is the primary entry point for migrants entering Europe: 728,910 people have arrived on its shores to date in 2015.3 Syrians make up the majority of migrants, followed by Afghans and Iraqis. A total of 59 per cent of migrants are men, followed by children (25 per cent) and women (16 per cent).4 On arrival, all migrants must register with the authorities in order to legally travel to the mainland and onwards to other countries.
Once people are registered, virtually all travel quickly to the mainland, primarily the ports near Athens and Kavala city, before continuing their journey to border areas. The majority of migrants travel north by trains or bus directly from the port of Piraeus outside of Athens to Idomeni, from where they attempt to cross the border into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In Athens, the Red Cross is supporting temporary transit areas set up by the government of Greece in various locations throughout the capital area, namely Eleonas, the tae kwon do centre in Faliro (replacing former centre in Galatsi as of 24 November) and Elliniko.
On 2 November 2015, ferry companies went on a strike for four days and added additional pressure on all the islands where reception capacities were already overstretched. The increasing influx of arrivals, combined with the ferry strike, put an extreme pressure on islands, where up to 28,000 refugees and migrants were staying on 6 November.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia introduced new border restrictions on Friday 20 November 2015, which have seen sporadic border closures and the screening of migrants on the basis of nationality. The changes have led to thousands of people becoming stranded in Idomeni, on the Greek side of the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Estimates suggest there were 3,000-4,000 people waiting to cross on 22 November 2015. The newly erected fence is causing clashes between migrants and police at the border, raising tensions and security measures at the north.
Within this context, challenges with the registration process, compounded by the increased number of arrivals, plus insufficient accommodation areas available in the entry points of the country, have caused frustration and tension between migrants and the local populations.
Recently, the average number of daily arrivals has decreased and between 22-24 November 2015, the numbers arriving decreased significantly (all transit sites in the north and south of Lesvos were emptied), after which the number of arrivals started increasing again. The reason for this fluctuation is not confirmed. Some speculations range from weather conditions to increased Turkish Coast Guard patrols. To date, 199 deaths have been reported with 110 people missing6 in Greece.