Under the auspices of  H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, IOM Greece celebrated the 65^th anniversary and the UN accession, which was finalized on September 2016.

H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos, honoured the event with his presence.

“66 years ago, IOM was founded. Today, after 65 years of constant work, efforts, responsibility, IOM is part of the UN, an inextricable part of UN migration policy. During this 65 year period, IOM Greece faced two basic challenges of the Greek history. At the beginning, Greece was one of the most important emigration countries, and during the last three decades, Greece still remains a basic reception country” Mr. Pavlopoulos said.

“It is a great honour for me to be here, in such a great event. The ministry of Citizen Protection cooperates with IOM Greece, by implementing the Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration Program. Since the refugee crisis has started, IOM is here providing essential help and contribution”, said Nikos Toskas, alternate Minister of Citizen Protection Ministry.

“After the EU Turkey agreement was signed, chaos gained shape. IOM Greece collaboration with the Greek authorities is more than efficient. IOM Greece contribution is crucial and very important. The Greek community should be aware of that”, said Yannis Balafas, deputy Minister of Migration Policy.

Greece has been traditionally one of the most important emigration countries following the Second World War. Greece is a founding member of IOM. The Athens Mission operates on the basis of an Agreement of 17 April 1952, between the Greek Government and IOM (ICEM). This Agreement defines the scope of IOM activities and sets out in detail its responsibilities.

National emigration flows lasted from 1952 to the mid 1970s. Since 1954, the Organization had initiated and offered vocational training courses to Greek workers, providing them with professional background, as well as cultural orientation to facilitate their integration into the host society. Greece Mission has assisted over 140.000 Greek national emigrants who settled in USA, Canada, Australia and other overseas countries.

During the 1980s, Greece became a transit country for Eastern Europeans, Middle Easterners and Africans. IOM Athens organized and implemented the resettlement of 89.000 foreign migrants and refugees mainly to USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. As from the beginning of the 1990s, Greece started receiving large inflows of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe following the collapse of the communist regimes, with large number from Albania too.

As from 2007, the number of irregular migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Greece by boat, (from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc) through the Aegean Sea, increased significantly. However, as from 2010, a shift from the sea to the land border has taken place, resulting in increased illegal border-crossings at the Greek land border with Turkey, which constitute approximately 85% of all the detections of illegal border crossing at the EU level. These large influxes of irregular migrants from Asia and Africa, who view Greece as a gateway to the European Union, end up being stranded in the country.

IOM Greece plays a crucial role in AVRR’s world map. Since 2010, more than 35.000 individuals have safely returned back home with the contribution of IOM Greece. Furthermore IOM Greece has supported over 3.500 migrants to successfully complete personalized reintegration plans in terms of sustainability for themselves and their families.

On September 2015, IOM Greece started implementing the EU Relocation Scheme. So far, more than 10.000 refugees, have been safely relocated to other EU Member States.

Furthermore, IOM is addressing the exacerbated emergency situation in Greece by rolling out a comprehensive emergency response consisting of the following components:  

• Site management support (SMS):  To date, IOM is responsible for SMS in six sites in Attica region and Northern Greece, to which IOM Facility Coordinators are assigned to.  IOM is also aiming at strengthening the capacities of national authorities through the provision of SMS/CCCM trainings for Camp Managers seconded to the MMP.
• Improvement of living conditions on site: Following field visits and as per needs identified on-site, IOM implements targeted shelter and WASH, safety and security interventions in order to ensure dignified and humane living conditions for migrants and refugees residing in sites throughout Greece.
• NFIs:  IOM distributes hygiene Non-Food Item (NFI) kits, which include face/body towels, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, antibacterial gel, wet wipes pocket size and dry wipes pocket tissues, mosquito repellent spray and sunscreen cream.  
• Protection and assistance:  On-site and mobile protection and assistance teams are deployed to provide support and services to beneficiaries in formal and informal sites located in Attica, Northern Greece and on the islands.  Their activities include psychosocial and legal counseling, identification and referral of vulnerable migrant and refugee cases to specialized care/administrative services, as well as information and awareness raising activities on available rights and options, risks of smuggling and trafficking.
• Accommodation for vulnerable cases: Shelter and assistance services are provided in specialized reception facilities for Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMCs) and vulnerable persons in Athens and in the North, in partnership with NGOs already operating shelters.
• Education: IOM supports migrant and refugee children of primary school age with their integration into the Greek formal educational system through provision of transportation services to public schools, school kits and didactic materials.

IOM Greece Press Release