Melissa Fleming
Greece
UNHCR, Aid NGOs Pull Out of Hotspots and Refugee Camps as Protests Intensify
The UN Refugee Agency announced it is suspending some of its activities in Greece as it opposes mandatory detention, UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said during a press conference in Geneva, adding that open hot spots are being turned into...
Europe
UNHCR Proposes Plan to Address Europe’s Refugee Crisis
The U.N. refugee agency reports that the refugee situation in Greece is rapidly deteriorating, with about 30,000 people living under miserable conditions, but it's proposing a plan to help resolve the crisis.
The proposal from the U.N. High Commissioner for...
Greece
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: We are Facing the Worst Humanitarian Crisis Since WWII
"What Greece is faced with is not fair," the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Melissa Fleming on Tuesday said in an interview with ANA-MPA.
Regarding the new restrictions some countries imposed on refugee flows, she said...
Europe
UNHCR: Restrictive European Policies Won’t Keep Refugees Away
The U.N. refugee agency has expressed concern over the increasingly restrictive policies being adopted by European countries against asylum seekers. It warns the measures will not stop people from coming to Europe in search of a safe haven.
People in...
Europe
Refugees Scramble to Reach Europe Before Winter
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, reports a spike in arrivals in Greece as a result of a last minute scramble by refugees and migrants to get to Europe before winter comes and sea crossings are no longer possible.
But spokeswoman...
Europe
UN: Refugee Crisis Is ‘Defining Moment’ for Europe
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described the migrant crisis in Europe as an "absolutely dramatic situation" and has called on the European Union to take charge of migrant processing centers.
Commissioner Antonio Guterres said the refugee...
Greece
British Actor Douglas Booth Travels to Greece to Meet Refugees
Young British actor Douglas Booth -known for his roles in films such as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Noah" where he starred alongside Emma Watson and Russell Crowe- visited the Greek island of Lesvos. Booth, a UNHCR supporter, visited Lesvos...
Greece
Greek Islands See Sixfold Increase in Refugees This Year
Over 42,000 migrants arrived by sea in Greece during the first five months of 2015, with the majority of them being refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Eritrea, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The influx of migrants on the...