Today we are launching an update of the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) involving 60 partner organizations and covering the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans route. The RMRP has been revised to take into account new circumstances on the ground following the closure of borders along the Western Balkans route and the entry into force of the EU-Turkey Agreement.
These developments have had a significant impact on the number of refugees and migrants arriving, with a decrease in the number of people along the Western Balkan route and an increase in the number of people remaining in Greece. While the measures adopted have significantly reduced the number of arrivals in Greece, more than 57,000 refugees and migrants are currently dispersed across the country in several locations on the mainland and islands.
In this context, UNHCR and its humanitarian partners have redefined their engagement, moving from a response primarily targeting people on the move to a focus on a static population in Greece and on protection activities in the Western Balkan countries.
The financial requirements to implement the plan have been adjusted to reflect the change in circumstances. They currently stand at nearly US$670 million for 2016, of which US$328.8 million in contributions have been received.
Unmet needs remain high, as living conditions at sites in Greece, both on the islands and on the mainland, have deteriorated due to congestion and the speed with which sites were established on the mainland. The affected population includes many people with specific needs, such as unaccompanied or separated children, single women, pregnant or lactating women, elderly people, people with disabilities, as well as the sick and injured. The number of children involved in these movements is increasing, reaching 38 percent of total arrivals from Turkey to Greece in 2016. There is a risk that these people will increasingly rely on trafficking and trafficking networks. trafficked, exposing themselves to greater protection risks. , which will be even more difficult to resolve given the clandestine nature of the movement.
The Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) was launched in January 2016 following large-scale population movements across Europe in 2015, when one million refugees and migrants undertook the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. The vast majority crossed the Aegean Sea by boat, from Turkey to Greece. Many people have lost their lives: in total, 3,771 people died or went missing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. Despite the deterioration of weather conditions caused by the arrival of winter, the movements have not calmed down in the first five months of 2016, with some 200,000 people. arrivals by sea from January to May 2016, including more than 150,000 to Greece.
For more information on this topic, please contact:
William Spindler in Geneva at +41 79 217 3011, (email protected)
