UNHCR Kosovo* update

Refugees/migrants developments in April

April, May 2016
Highlights
156,150
Refugees and migrants

Pope Francis visited refugees and migrants at a centre in

Moria, Lesvos, and greeted children, women, and men who
have fled war and human rights violations. During the visit he
called on world leaders to respond with courage to the current
humanitarian crisis, and to provide protection and long-term solutions
for refugees fleeing war and violence. Pope Francis travelled back to
Rome with 3 Syrian families composed of 12 people. The Vatican said it
will take responsibility for supporting the families, who will initially be
settled by the Catholic Sant'Egidio community.

arriving by sea to Greece

in 2016 (Jan-May)

53,875
Refugees and migrants
present in Greece on the
mainland and on the
islands

387
Returns to Turkey
(EU-Turkey agreement)

1,375
Refugees and migrants
estimated to have died/ gone
missing at sea in Europe in
2016

Pope Francis arrives at a camp for refugees in Moria, on the Greek island of
Lesvos. EPA/O.Panagiotou

On Sunday 10th April, refugees and migrants stranded at the

closed border crossing between Greece and FYR Macedonia
in Idomeni started protesting against the border closure.
Peaceful for a few hours, the protest later erupted into
violence, when Macedonian police started to fire tear gas
into Greek territory to disperse the crowd. Medecins sans
Frontieres (MSF) treated over 300 people, including 30 children for
injuries caused by exposure to the gas and rubber bullets. UNHCR
Spokesperson, Adrian Edwards, in a statement said that the extensive
scenes of teargas in use are a matter of great worry to UNHCR, and
should be too for all who are concerned with Europe's response to the
situation of refugees and migrants. Edwards highlighted that we should
not forget nearly 46,000 on the Greek mainland who arrived before the
EU-Turkey agreement took effect. At Eidomeni, about 11,000 have been
staying for many weeks now in the open in dismal conditions, fuelling
hopelessness and despair.

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

2016 is proving to be particularly deadly on the Mediterranean Sea. Some 2,510 lives
have been lost so far between January and May, compared to 1,855 in the same period
in 2015. The odds of dying on the sea crossing are as high as one in 81 and getting worse. This
highlights the importance of rescue operations as part of the response to the movement of refugees
and migrants in the Mediterranean, and the need for real, safer alternatives for people needing
international protection. The North Africa-Italy route is dramatically more dangerous: 2,119 of the
deaths reported so far this year are among people making this journey, making for odds of dying as
high as one in 23. As of now, UNHCR has not seen evidence of a significant diversion of Syrians, Afghans
or Iraqis from the Turkey-Greece route to the Central Mediterranean one. The principal nationalities
on the Libya to Italy route so far this year have been Nigerians and Gambians, although among
countries more commonly associated with refugee movements nine per cent have been Somalis and
eight per cent Eritreans.

The Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction in Greece (Alternate

Minister for Migration Policy) and UNHCR are strengthening their collaboration for the
provision of accommodation and assistance to the refugees who are currently in
Greece. On Wednesday, 20th April, the Alternate Minister of Interior for
Migration Policy, Yiannis Mouzalas, chaired the 1st Steering Committee meeting of the organizations
funded by the EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) with 83 million, to
improve the living conditions of the refugees in
Greece. Following the agreement with Greece,
UNHCR will assist in coordinating the provision
of the above assistance to the country. On
Thursday, 21st April, a new site in the area of
Lagkadikia opened its doors to refugees.
Located approximately 45 km east of
Thessaloniki, the site will eventually host
1,000-1,400 people. In view of the pressing
accommodation needs, UNHCR is also
supporting the Greek authorities reception
UNHCR staff wait at the port of Augusta in Sicily to disembark
scheme, through the provision of hotels, in
refugees found adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. UNHCR/C.
addition to the progressive availability of
Sami
apartments for asylum seekers.

On 24th May Greek authorities started

dismantling the refugee camp in Idomeni. More
than 12,000 refugees had lived at the Idomeni camp at its
peak in inhumane conditions. Many of those stranded at
the makeshift camp of Idomeni at the Greek-FYR
Macedonian border refused to board buses heading to
organised camps. Instead, they set out for the fields. Only
2,800 people have been relocated by buses to new camps
(source: trtworld). Moreover, according to aid groups, the
new settlements are not functional because some are
located in warehouses and industrial zones. They have
called on Greek authorities to take necessary steps to improve conditions.

In the next few weeks, the Asylum Service in Greece will conduct a pre-registration
exercise for international protection in the mainland. With the financial support of the
European Commission (DG Home), the registration of asylum seekers residing in open reception
facilities in the mainland will take place from end of May to of July. UNHCR and the European Asylum

Support Office (EASO) will support the Asylum Service in this exercise. The pre-registration exercise will
take several weeks to conclude, but all those who arrived in Greece before 20 March, wishing to apply
for international protection in Greece and are currently residing on the mainland will be able to preregister. The pre-registration exercise is the first step to apply for international protection in Greece.
The International Organization for Migration will also participate in order to provide information on
voluntary repatriation to the countries of origin to those interested.

On Monday 16th May, the first of three UNHCR Leadership and Coordination
workshops started in Athens and was attended by national and international NGOs,
UN sister agencies and other actors in Greeces refugee response effort. The workshops
are being held as part of the UN Refugee Agencys efforts to support the Greek government in its
ongoing work to develop and implement plans to provide protection and assistance to more than
54,000 refugees and migrants in the country. Clear communication and coordination among everyone
involved is vital in ensuring all of these efforts result in prompt, effective solutions. That is exactly what
our workshops aim to deliver, said Giovanni Lepri, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Greece.

On 16th May, the BBC 4 hosted the

World on the move broadcast
exploring how the movement of
people is changing the world.
Angelina Jolie Pitt, the UN Refugee
Agency's Goodwill Ambassador, has
warned
that
the
international
humanitarian system for refugees is
breaking down. You can listen to the
entire podcast following the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bqjgq Moreover, more news from todays World on the
move
including
videos,
podcasts
and
articles
can
be
found
here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-36289420
Information contained in this newsletter is based on online
sources and UNHCR Kosovo is not responsible for any
misinterpretations.

Latest information is available on UNHCR website:

http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php

UNHCR Kosovo key developments in April-May

In April UNHCR Kosovo started a Facebook

fun page. The aim to run the social media account is to
share with the followers the most recent updates about
UNHCR daily work carried out jointly with its
implementing partners and local authorities to enable
durable solutions for Kosovo displaced people, achieve a
robust asylum system, as well as prevent and tackle rge
risk of statelessness.

As part of its advocacy of the closure of temporary collective shelters (TCS) in Kosovo,
on 26th April UNHCR Kosovo organised and facilitated a visit of 20 Members of the State
Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to a temporary collective shelter
(TCS) Bergen in Uglar/Ugljar - Graanica/Graanic Municipality. UNHCR was represented
by Malgorzata Bratkrajc, External Relations Officer
and Bujar Prebreza, Community Services
Associate. Members of the State Parliament spoke
with
the
representatives
of
UNHCR,
Graanica/Graanic
Municipal
authorities,
Serbian Red Cross, Commissariat for Refugees and
Migration and a number of IDPs accommodated in
Photo: UNHCR Kosovo
the TCS. The discussion touched upon the living
conditions in the TCS, lack of employment
opportunities, issues with security, freedom of
movement as well as challenges in finding a
durable solution. IDPs urged the German
delegation to support IDPs in Kosovo through projects that can improve their socio-economic situation
and help them find a durable solution.

On 8th April, Kosovo authorities held a conference on the occasion of the International
Roma Day, which was attended by UNHCR Chief of Mission, N. L. Narasimha Rao. The
conference was also attended by Head of the Office of the EU in Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, representatives
of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of European Integration, Ministry of Culture, municipal authorities,
civil society and diplomatic missions in Pristina. During the conference, participants discussed aspects of
support for Roma community. Minister for Communities and Return, Dalibor Jevtic, said that in the last
three years the Ministry in coordination with the EU Office in Kosovo and UNHCR supported the return
of displaced Kosovo Roma from Montenegro and FYROM by building 61 houses and assisting them with
income generation projects.

UNHCR hosted on 27th April an

information-sharing meeting on the
current situation of refugees and migrants
arriving in Europe by the Mediterranean
Sea. Andrew Russell, UN Development
Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Kosovo,
as well as other representatives of UN Kosovo
Team, including international organisations and
NGOs, discussed the joint response in case of a
potential refugee influx.

UNHCR Kosovo continued in April the needs assessment for 380 families with the
objective to update the outstanding ITR applications submitted by RAE community
members displaced in Serbia, FYROM and Montenegro. The entire activity was concluded in
all three neighbouring countries as planned by 10th April. Moreover, in order to analyse the needs of
the entire outstanding caseload in FYROM and Montenegro, UNHCR Kosovo teams supported by
colleagues from respective UNHCR regional offices, extended the assessment to the applications
submitted by members of other ethnicities. By the end of April, a total of 425 families were assessed
including a few new applications. The preliminary results of the assessment are expected in May.

Within the framework of the Skopje

Process, UNHCR facilitated on 18th and
19th May the first Technical Working
Group (TWG) meetings on Data
Management and Solutions Planning. Both
events held in Pristina were attended by
representatives of the institutions of Pristin/a,
Belgrade, Skopje and Podgorica who re-confirmed
their committed to co-operate at the regional level
in order to find durable solutions for the displaced
from Kosovo. The relevant priority areas and
measures were discussed by the experts and
officials from national institutions. As an outcome of both TWG meetings, UNHCR and OSCE have been
preparing the action points and other relevant documents which will be presented to the participating
institutions in order to seek their endorsement of these action points and agree on the modalities of
their implementation.

On 18th May, UNHCR through its implementing partner, Kosova Rehabilitation Centre
for Torture Victims (KRCT) facilitated an awareness raising event in Mitrovica on sexual
and gender-based violence (SGBV). The event was aimed in particular at girls between 11 and 18
belonging to minority groups particularly Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) facing discrimination and
being particularly vulnerable. Problems in this community include early and forced marriages, lacking
access to education for the girls and not being integrated in the local community life. Through this event,
KRCT informed the girls on sexual and gender-based violence, their basic rights, early (forced) marriage,
psychological abuse, negative psychological and physical effects of early marriage, where to address
early (forced) marriage and domestic violence, and where to seek institutional support.

Contacts:
Malgorzata Bratkrajc, External Relations Officer, bratkraj@unhcr.org, Tel: + 38138241509 Ext. 2700, Cell +377 (0) 44115560
Shpend Halili, Public Information Associate, halilis@unhcr.org, Tel: +38138241509 Ext. 2701, Cell +377 (0) 45286862