Summary of the appeal
This Operations Update no. 2 is to report on the implementation progress of activities under the revised Emergency Appeal, as well as to extend the timeframe of the Operation from April to September 2016. This extension is based on the anticipation that the flow of migrants coming to Greece will continue for the foreseeable future, and thus the need to continue to provide the migrants with on-going assistance, while supporting and strengthening the efforts of the Hellenic Red Cross. The operational budget and beneficiary targets are currently being adjusted to reflect this, and will be reported on in the next Operations Update.
From January 2015 onwards: Increasing numbers of people arriving in Greece by sea. The number of migrants arriving on Greek shores soared in 2015 - twenty times higher than in 2014. Although arrivals by sea border had been increasing steadily following the construction of a fence in the Evros region between Turkey and Greece in 2012, the past year has seen a dramatic increase. As of July 2015 a flow of around 1,000 to 1,500 people were being 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 of 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: the 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 the islands of Lesvos, Samos, Kos, Chios, the capital city of Athens, and Idomeni as the main crossing point into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
7 December 2015: Operations Update no. 1 was published 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.
Situation
In 2015, Greece became the primary entry point for migrants coming into Europe, and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. In one year alone, a total of 851,319 people3 arrived by sea, undertaking the crossing from Turkey in makeshift and often inadequate boats. Syrians have consistently made up the majority of migrants (56%), followed by Afghans (24%) and Iraqis (10%), although the figures for December 2015 are showing a decrease in the number of Syrians (38%) and an increase in Iraqi migrants (26%) compared to 2015 overall4. A total of 55 per cent of migrants have been men, followed by children (28%) and women (17%)5. Here too, recent trends indicate a greater proportion of women and children over the past month (see below). This is corroborated by reports from the field.
Uncertainty and unpredictability – these two words sum up the current situation for all concerned: for the migrants, who embark on an uncertain and unsafe journey to reach the shores of Greece, where they are faced with unpredictable rules as they try to transit on to other countries; for the Greek authorities, who are forced to react to unpredictable numbers of migrants arriving by sea from Turkey and deal with unexpected changes in neighboring countries’ border policies; for local communities, trying to assist as best they can despite their own economic uncertainties; and for the humanitarian community, which has to keep adapting in response to the fluctuating numbers and needs.
The number of migrants crossing by sea from Turkey was expected to diminish towards the end of the year, due to the onset of winter and rougher seas, coupled with a tightening of controls by the Turkish authorities following an agreement reached with the EU in late November 2015. This has not happened to the extent anticipated. Although arrivals are down from a peak of 6,800 per day in October, they still averaged 3,333 people per day in December. There has been a further drop-off during the first week in January 2016, to an average of 1,673 per day, primarily attributed to strong currents6. Unless the overall geo-political context changes, it is anticipated that the number of arrivals will increase again once the weather improves.
A majority of migrants continue to transit through Athens – with daily arrivals to the port of Piraeus consistently surpassing 3,000 people in December7. Furthermore, due to stricter controls imposed at the border crossing into the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in late November, Athens is becoming a longer-term destination, as migrants from countries other than Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are turned back, and then seek to find new routes and review their options. Overall, the situation remains fluid and continues to shift, often suddenly and unexpectedly – as happened for example when the transit camp at Idomeni was cleared by the authorities on 9 December 2015, and again when the transit center at the Tae Kwan Do Centre in Athens was closed a week later, with little notice.
The one constant element is the ceaseless flow of migrants coming to Greece. As a result, the IFRC has decided to extend the timeframe of this operation until September 2016, to provide on-going assistance to migrants in Greece and continue to support and strengthen the efforts of the Hellenic Red Cross in this regard.