Violence

This statement is attributed to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

We are alarmed by recurrent and consistent reports coming from Greece’s land and sea borders with Turkey, where UNHCR has recorded almost 540 reported incidents of informal returns by Greece since the beginning of 2020. Disturbing incidents are also reported in Central and South-eastern Europe at the borders with EU Member States.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with sister UN agencies, NGO partners, municipalities and authorities discussed with refugees and asylum-seekers across Greece to identify their main concerns and key recommendations around protection and integration. A regular part of UNHCR’s programming, the Participatory Assessment (PA) provides an opportunity for UNHCR and others to assess the existing humanitarian programmes and adjust future initiatives in line with refugees’ feedback.