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29
Daily Report
February 29, 2016 2:12 PM
Contact us: hqwoc@unhcr.org
1st Page
Planning and Preparedness: UNHCR and UNICEF
are setting up twenty Child and Family Support Hubs
along the transit route, which will provide a safe space
for children and their families. UNHCR Assistant High
Commissioner for Protection, Volker Türk, highlighted
that “the hubs will play a key role in identifying
unaccompanied children and providing the protection
they need in an unfamiliar environment.”
Arrivals and Departures: In Greece, according to
the Alternate Minister of Migration Policy, 22,000
refugees and migrants are present in-country. The
government is considering declaring a state of
emergency if the situation continues.
Since 5 September 2015 more than 800,000 people
have transited Austria. In the same period, some
55,000 asylum applications were recorded.
Situation at Border Crossings: In Serbia, 456 instances
of refugees and migrants not being permitted to trains
to Croatia occurred. 199 people were not permitted
to enter Serbia from the former Yugoslav Republic
Estimated Arrivals per Country Yesterday
Greece
fYRoM*
Condition of People: In Slovenia, 130 people, mostly
of Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian nationality, are currently
staying at the Vrhnika centre. 30% are male, 24%
female and 46% children. According to the Police,
they are in the process to be returned to Croatia.
In Hungary, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister,
György Bakondi, stated, in a press conference, that
the Government stands ready to seal its “green”
border with Romania, should refugees and migrants
start using new routes to enter the country.
According to Reuters, EU officials fear the potential
of human smuggling to increase from Egypt to Europe
as security in Libya worsened. Officials declined to
comment.
Deaths at Sea: None reported.
Austria
447
92
431
Croatia
358
Hungary
60
Slovenia
0
Hungary
60
3,651
Serbia
Austria
of Macedonia. In Croatia, some 270 people were
returned from Slovenia according to the Croatian
Red Cross. Similarly, 17 people were returned from
Austria to Slovenia.
Slovenia
0
Croatia
447
* The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (please note
that the fYRoM abbreviation is used for design purposes)
358
Serbia
431
fYRoM*
92
Greece
3,651
Critical Developments
According to Slovenian Police, eight individuals
(seven Iraqis and one Iranian) were voluntarily
returned to their country of origin on 25 February.
The return was facilitated in cooperation with IOM
and financed 75% from EU funds and 25% from the
national budget.
According to Turkish Coast Guard, almost 6,800
people, mostly of Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian nationality
were found by the Turkish authorities in the first
24 days of February. This compares to around 600
people who were detained in February 2015 and
constitutes a 1,000% increase.
Response
In Greece, at Athens three new sites were opened
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to increase the accommodation capacity, which
remains insufficient to cover the needs.
Challenges
Over the past days, widespread protests regarding
refugee and migrant issues took place. In Slovenia,
citizens demonstrated both in favour and against
an increasing number of refugees and migrants
transiting through the country. Meanwhile in
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Daily Report
February 29, 2016 2:12 PM
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Weather Headlines
Greece, people protested against the setting up
of temporary accommodation facilities; while, in
Greece and Serbia, refugees and migrants peacefully
protested against the restrictions imposed at border
crossings.
• Strong winds and rough seas persisting through
the Aegean through the rest of Monday and
Tuesday, and again later in the week. Some
heavy rain at times, but no significant cold
weather expected.
Average Daily Arrivals and Trends Greece
8-14 February
1,147
-1% from previous week
22-28 February
2,538
-8% from previous week
15-21 February
2,747
140% from previous week
Monthly Average Daily Arrival
February (as of 28 Feb)
1,898
-2% from previous month
Social Media
Facebook Activity: Facebook group Welcome
to Denmark mobilised a peaceful march on 27
February starting in Copenhagen to protest against
borders put up in and around EU member states to
deny entry to refugees and migrants. As many as
29 other countries, as far as Mexico, participated in
the demonstration against the use of border control
against refugees and migrants. The group have been
operating solely through the use of social media,
getting their message through to people through the
use of #SafePassage.
using the ‘window of opportunity’ provided by the
temporary ceasefire to reach as many as 150,000
people in 5 days in Syria. Areas targeted for aid
include Madaya. Other topics discussed included
France calling for an immediate meeting of the Syrian
task force to discuss the violation of the cessation
of hostilities. Although the provisional ceasefire
still holds, the agreement has suffered some minor
breaches.
Current statistics for: #refugeecrisis
71 tweets, 83 retweets per hour
Over 390,000 impressions per hour
19.82% of posts using #refugeecrisis originated
from the US
Twitter Activity: The Twitter account of Reuters
posted about NATO Secretary General, Jens
Stoltenberg’s concerns regarding the fragile state
of the Syrian cessation of hostilities amid increasing
Russian military build-up in Syria.
Current statistics for: #Syria
583 tweets, 1,021 retweets per hour
20.2% of posts using #Syria originated from the US
15.5% of posts using #Syria originated from the UK
Periscope: BBC Outside Source live-streamed realtime news; the main focus story was on aid agencies
Daily and Weekly Average Arrivals to Greece
7 December to 28 February
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,400
3,100
3,200
2,700
3,000
2,400
2,400
1,800
2,000
Daily arrival
1,600
1,200
1,000
1,100
0
7-13 Dec
2
14-20 Dec
21-27 Dec
28 Dec -3 Jan
4-10 Jan
11-17 Jan
18-24 Jan
2,500
Weekly average arrival
2,000
25-31 Jan
1-7 Feb
8-14 feb
15-21 Feb
22-28 Feb
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Weather Forecast Greece - Slovenia
Key locations crossed by refugees
Risk of light snow on
Thursday and turning
unsettled with rain over
the weekend
Sentilj
Jesenice
2°C
-1°C
SLOVENIA
Sid
CROATIA
4°C
4°C
Dobova
7°C
Slavonski
Brod
SERBIA
Dry on Wednesday but
turning unsettled on
Thursday and Friday
Tabanovce
Dry on Wednesday but wet
and windy on Thursday
9°C
Gevgelija
fYRoM*
12°C
Thessaloniki
Becoming unsettled from
Wednesday afternoon with
spells of rain or showers
GREECE
Lesvos
9°C
Winds easing
temporarily on
Wednesday but
becoming unsettled
with heavy showers
and strong winds
returning
15°C
Athens
°C
Forecast next 24h
Becoming unsettled
from Wednesday
afternoon with spells
of rain or showers
12°C
Kos
14°C
Hazards
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx
Outlook 2-5 days
Weather Assessment
• Strong to gale force southeasterly winds will
develop through the Aegean through the rest of
Monday, persisting through Tuesday. Forecast
wave heights suggest the sea conditions will be
dangerous for small boats travelling between
Turkey and the Greek Islands and past event
analysis has often shown lower arrivals. The wind
will ease temporarily on Wednesday, but will
build again through Thursday and Friday bringing
similarly challenging conditions.
• It will remain unsettled across the region through
the coming week with most places seeing rain
at times, with snow generally confined to higher
ground. Some heavy and perhaps thundery
showers are expected to affect the Greek Islands
from Wednesday onwards, with the heaviest
rainfall across mainland southeast Europe
expected to be along the eastern coast of the
Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
Source: UK Met Office, WMO and Local National Met Services
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Situation Overview
Turkish Shores
Turkey
Turkey
Turkey
Strong winds and rough seas
Greek Islands
Greece
Athens
Eidomeni
Reception sites congested
Bulgaria
Congested temporary accommodation sites
New sites established
Intermittent closure of border crossing
Evros
Gevgelija
Site congested
fYRoM*
Tabanovce
Site congested
Serbia
199 people returned
Miratovac
Serbia
Serbia
Dimitrovgrad
Negotin
Presevo
Sid
People not permitted to board trains on 456 instances
Belgrade
If trains overcrowded
Croatia
Slavonski Brod
270 people returned
Mursko Srediste
Dobova
Slovenia
Sentilj
Macelj
Karawanke
Tunnel
Jesenice
Slovenia
Slovenia
Gruskovja
Petisovci
Gornja Radgona
17 people returned
Austria
Spielfeld
Daily cap(s) not reached
Villach
Rosenbach
Bad Radkersburg
Country border
Germany
Train
Bus
Walk
Boat
4
Winter
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February 29, 2016 2:12 PM
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Annex 1
Key Figures from the Portal
Refugees/Migrants Emergency Response - Greece
http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean
29 February 2016
Last updated 25 Feb 2016
112,538 arrivals by sea in 2016
Increasing numbers of refugees and migrants take their chances aboard unseaworthy boats and
dinghies in a desperate bid to reach Europe. The vast majority of those attempting this dangerous
crossing are in need of international protection, fleeing war, violence and persecution in their
country of origin. Every year these movements continue to exact a devastating toll on human life.
Top­10 nationalities of Mediterranean sea arrivals
Top­10 nationalities represent 100% of the sea arrivals
44%
Afghanistan
Sea arrivals in 2016
Istanbul
Kavala
Main routes through
the Mediterranean
Thessaloniki
ITALY
18%
Iraq
top 10 refugee­producing countries
Idomeni
ALBANIA
29%
arrivals by sea in 2015
90% of arrivals come from the world's
THE FORMER
YUGOSLAV
REPUBLIC OF
MACEDONIA
based on arrivals since 1 Jan 2016
Syrian Arab
Republic
856,723
BULGARIA
4%
Iran
Pakistan
3%
Others
3%
GREECE
Ionian Sea
TURKEY
Agean Sea
Izmir
Athens
Comparison of monthly Mediterranean sea arrivals
2015
Bodrum
2016
200,000
Demographics
150,000
Sea of Crete
10%
100,000
50,000
0
5
12%
36%
Children
based on arrivals since 1 Jan 2016
21%
78%
42%
Women
Men
*Serbia (AND KOSOSVO: S/RES/1244 (1999))
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not
imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
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February 29, 2016 2:12 PM
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Annex 2
Last Week in Social Media
Image of the Week
In case you missed it...
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Kunkush the ‘refugee cat’ travelled over 2,000 miles to be reunited with his family after becoming separated
on their travel from Iraq to Norway. His disappearance sparked an international social media search until
the family were located and he was returned.
During the Week
Lady SOS’: The woman saving Syrian refugees
at sea
Syria conflict: Warring parties accept US-Russia
truce plan
Nawal Soufy, a 28-year-old Italian-Moroccan, is
better known as ‘Mama Nawal’ and ‘Lady SOS’.
After providing translation and interpretive
services in Italy, she travelled around the Syrian
cities of Homs and Aleppo in 2012. Nawal is
now a first point of reference for some of those
stranded out at sea; some in small dinghies, and
others in larger boats with no crew.
When Nawal receives a call, she alerts nearby
coastguards, providing coordinates of the boats
in need of assistance before going to the docks
to provide practical information and basic
supplies to the newly-arrived refugees and
migrants.
The government of the Syrian Arab Republic
and the main opposition umbrella group
announced they will stop “combat operations”
amidst the ongoing war in Syria. This came after
an agreement was reached between the United
States and Russia, however, the deal does not
apply to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front, an affiliate of alQaeda. Implementation of the cessation of
hostilities is also dependent on whether or not
government air strikes on civilians comes to
an end. The truce is set to begin this weekend.
Peace talks which were essentially abandoned
in Geneva a few weeks ago could re-commence
if the cessation is accepted.
She has now put together a small team consisting
of two Syrians, a Palestinian and an Egyptian,
some already having received assistance from
Nawal in the past.
Members of British Embassy raise money
for Syrians Posted by Simon Manley on
Twitter
Mass brawl between Syrians, Afghans &
Iraqis in [Belgium] refugee camp (video)
Posted on Twitter by Onlinemagazin
Comments on Syrian refugees with English
subtitles (video) Posted on Twitter by
homnibus
Iceland’s first Syrian refugees
Dangerous waters – Shadowing the
Hellenic Coast Guard’s migrant rescues
(video + article)
‘Refugee cat’ reunited with family
Current statistics for: #refugees
•
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33 tweets & 46 retweets per hour
Over 50,000 impressions per hour
19.27% of tweets using #refugeecrisis
originated from the US
Last 7 days: statistics for social media activity
using #refugees dropped dramatically in the
week beginning 22 February. However, over
the weekend there was a combined 5,400
individual tweets, 10,500 retweets and 4,675
impressions made. A possible contributing
factor may have been the double bombing in
Homs, Syria which killed a reported 34 people
and injured many others.
Statistics also showed that afternoons (3pm)
saw the most consistent number of individual
tweets and retweets; evenings (between 5pm8pm) saw the highest number of retweets
Upcoming events:
International Conference of Refugees and
Migrants
Date: 26-28 February 2016
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
EU Referendum
Date: 23 June 2016
Venue: UK
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