“Faced with the urgent humanitarian challenge, international humanitarian actors must be allowed to provide assistance” continues Benedicte Giæver, Director of the Emergency Deployment Department of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The humanitarian situation for refugees and migrants in Greece, in particular on Lesvos and other islands close to Turkey, is dramatic and requires immediate action and decision making by local and national authorities. Thousands of people are arriving by boat every day, and are not being cared for according to international humanitarian standards. Many refugees have been waiting for two weeks without access to safe places to sleep and basic sanitation facilities.
“We are aware of all the challenges Greece is facing, logistically, financially and politically. Still, Greece is a developed country with human and administrative resources. The authorities should cooperate with the international community and help protect refugees and migrants in need of help,” says Benedicte Giæver.
BILDE Benedicte Gievær, Director of NRC's Expert Deployment Department. Photo: NRC/Ida Sem Fossvik
Giæver has visited Lesvos this week, inspected conditions for refugees and migrants, and met with Greek officials. She applauds Greece’s decision to speed up the registration process for Syrian refugees on Lesvos so they are able to leave the island and continue their journey to other European countries, which authorities promised in meetings with NRC and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Prompt implementation of a faster registration process on Lesvos is crucial. Giæver is worried about political hurdles to expediting registration and poor cooperation between Greek authorities on several Greek islands. If registration continues to be a bottleneck, tension will rise further between frustrated and desperate refugees and local authorities and communities.
NRC calls on the European Union and associated states to urgently present a unified humanitarian response to the current refugee emergency, including relocations of people in frontier states such as Hungary and Greece. “Greece will not stand alone. NRC, UNHCR and other humanitarian actors are ready to help Greece protect people in need”, says Giæver.
Press contacts:
Hanne Eide Andersen – Media Adviser +47 905 62 329
Eirik Christophersen – Senior Adviser +47 907 87 991