Greece: Syrians Heading for Athens
4,441 views · Published 6 June 2015 · 2:56 · Indexed 28 October 2026
Channel: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2015 · News & Politics
Syrians are the vast majority of more than 7,000 refugees flooding the island of Kos since the beginning of the year, At the beginning of the week there were more than 1,500 refugees on the island of 32,000 residents. To try to alleviate the pressure on this and other islands the Greek authorities have developed a new approach. Faced with a growing backlog of people waiting to register with the police and a deteriorating humanitarian situation, the authorities in Lesvos and Kos, in cooperation with the central government, have decided to allow Syrians with valid passports to board the regular passenger ferries to Athens to be registered there. Around 300 Syrians boarded the night ferries to Athens from Kos and 350 from Lesvos on Thursday. "To respond to the critical situation in the Greek islands, UNHCR is increasing its personnel in Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodes, Leros and Evros. Additional deployments are also being planned," Fleming said in Geneva. UNHCR is already helping local authorities to improve reception conditions, identify additional accommodation for refugees, provide legal information and counselling to new arrivals and distribute sleeping bags and mats, soap, sanitary towels and other relief items to the most needy. Read more: http://www.unhcr.org/557171779.html Information for media: If you would like to use this video to communicate refugee stories or require B-Roll, transcripts, stills or much more information, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected]. --- Keep up to date with our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/unhcr?sub_confirmation=1 -- UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, works to protect and assist those fleeing war and persecution. Since 1950, we have helped tens of millions of people find safety and rebuild their lives. With your support, we can restore hope for many more. Read more at http://UNHCR.org Support our work with refugees now by subscribing to this channel, liking this video and sharing it with your friends and contacts. Thanks so much for your help. (Greece: Heading for Athens)
