UNHCR Kosovo* update

January 2016
Highlights

Refugee/migrant crisis in Western Balkans in January

Appeal to donors for US$550 million to support the ongoing

humanitarian response. UNHCR, IOM, and some 65 other

61,746
Refugees and
migrants arriving by
sea to Europe in
2016

344
Refugees and
migrants estimated
to have died/ gone
missing at sea in
2016

60,500

organisations, have appealed to donors for US$550 million to support

the ongoing humanitarian response in Europe. The appeal was
launched on 26th January aims at funding humanitarian operations in
2016 across the affected European countries, with approximately half
of the funds allocated in Greece.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, calls for

action to end war in Syria. The fate of millions of Syrian refugees
and internally displaced persons is in the hands of regional and world
powers and they must now act, particularly after devastating images of
starving children in Syria, which shocked the world. That was the
message of Filippo Grandi, new UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
after his first official 8-day trip through Turkey, Jordan, Syria and
Lebanon.

Harsh winter conditions mean fewer people are risking the

sea voyage to reach Europe in January compared to the
previous months. However, there is still an average of 2,000 people
arriving in Greece every day with an increasing percentage of women
and children.

Arrivals in Greece in
January over

56,538
Arrivals in the former
Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia in January

USD 84.9M
Funding received
covering activities until
February 2016

02 January, 2016, Greece. A volunteer battles the waves as a boatload of

refugees arrives at the Greek island of Lesvos. UNHCR/Hereward Holland

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

Information contained in this newsletter is based on online sources and UNHCR Kosovo is not responsible for any misinterpretations.

Harsh winter temperatures and

difficult weather conditions are
making life even tougher for
refugees. Temperatures in southern
Serbia have dropped to -10C in January.
Refugees passing through the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
had to walk in snow for more than 2
kilometers across frozen fields in the
border zone.
January, Refugees experiencing freezing temperatures on their
route through Balkans UNHCR

UNHCR, UNFPA, and the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) highlight that refugee and
migrant women and girls on the move in Europe face grave risks of sexual and genderbased violence. After conducting a joint field assessment in November 2015 of risks involved for
refugee and migrant women and girls in Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UNHCR,
UNFPA and WRC noted that women were among those particularly at risk and required additional
protection measures. According to the joint report issued on 20th January, many refugee and migrant
women and girls have had already been exposed to various forms of SGBV either in their country of origin,
country of first asylum or along the journey to and in Europe.

Restrictions based on nationality continue to be implemented along the Balkans route.

Some 324 individuals were returned from the Vinojug reception centre in the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia to the Greek border for possessing forged documents, no documents, or for being nationals
of countries other than Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria.

As of 20th January, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia started to
implement new practice of allowing the passage through their territories. Only refugees
with Germany or Austria marked as their final destination country on their registration documents would
be allowed to transit through the route.

UNHCR has launched a new and innovative information platform reaching out to
Eritreans and Somalis who are considering taking the perilous journey across the
Mediterranean into Europe. Telling the Real Story is a collection of testimonies by persons who
have made this voyage. This community-based information project counters the narrative of smugglers
and traffickers and helps Eritreans and Somalis take an informed decision about traveling to Europe.

Plans of Syrian refugees work permits in Turkey. Turkish Minister for European Affairs, Mr.
Volkan Bozkir, announced plans to offer Syrian refugees work permits to discourage the onward
movement of refugees and migrants currently in Turkey.

Frontex launched Poseidon Rapid Intervention to support Greece in handling the

unprecedented number of refugees and migrants arriving on the islands. Poseidon Rapid
Intervention, will also put a greater emphasis on security checks. There are 325 Frontex officers, 11
Frontex vessels and 65 EURODAC machines present on Greek islands. Several rescue operations took place
on the waters near Lesvos, Chios and Samos for boats in distress.
2

Balkan
Investigative
Reporting
Network (BIRN) reported that
stricter controls on FYROMs border
with Greece have revived the
business
of
migrant/refugees
trafficking, prompting claims that
local residents are involved.
Movements are confirmed by border police
and locals who claim that migrants are
transported by various means to the Serbian
border. It is claimed that groups of 15 to 30
individuals take this path almost every night.

Fence at the Macedonian southern border with Greece, Photo

by: AP/Bornis Grdanoski @Balkan Insight
@ Balkan Insight

Latest information is available on UNHCR website:

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

For more information please contact UNHCR Office of the Chief of Mission in Kosovo
Malgorzata Bratkrajc, External Relations Officer, tel: +381 38 241 509; e-mail: bratkraj@unhcr.org

For more information please contact UNHCR Office of the Chief of Mission in Kosovo
Malgorzata Bratkrajc, External Relations Officer, tel: +381 38 241 509; e-mail: bratkraj@unhcr.org