UNHCR Kosovo* update

February 2016
Highlights

131,724
Refugees and
migrants arriving by
sea to Europe in
2016

410
Refugees and
migrants estimated
to have died/ gone
missing at sea in
2016

53,800
Arrivals in Greece in
February

Refugee/migrant crisis in Western Balkans in February

Border closures in the Balkans may create an enormous and

potentially critical refugee bottleneck in Greece, UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, warns. During his
visit to Athens on 24th February, Philippo Grandi criticized the border
closures and the inability of European countries to face the refugee
crisis with generosity and unity. He also said that UNHCR and the Greek
authorities should start the joint planning for a situation where more
than a few thousand people are stuck in Greece.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, calls on all countries to

keep their borders open. Secretary-General is following with great
concern the increasing number of border restrictions along the Balkan
land route, including in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Although he is fully aware of the
pressures felt by many European countries, he appeals to the countries
to act in a spirit of responsibility-sharing and solidarity, including
through expanding legal pathways to access asylum.

Arrivals in 2016. Overall, Mediterranean arrivals have slowed over

the winter but still remained relatively high compare to previous year.
As of end of February there have been 131,724 new arrivals in Europe
in January and February (122,637 of these landing in Greece), which is
close to the total number of arrivals during the first six months in 2015
(147,209).
On average, 1,900 people arrived in Greece every day in February, with
an increasing percentage of women and children.

37,177
Arrivals in the former
Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia in February

USD 107.9M
Funding received
covering activities until
February 2016

Greek FYROM border. Refugee families wait to cross the border into
FYROM. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

*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.

UNHCR and UNICEF launched a joint initiative to increase protection for the growing
numbers of children and other persons with specific needs arriving to Europe. UNHCR
and UNICEF announced that they were
scaling up 20 Child and Family Protection
Support Hubs, known as "Blue Dots," along
the most frequently used migration routes in
Europe. The Blue Dot hubs aim to support
vulnerable families and individuals on the
move, especially the many unaccompanied
or separated children at risk of sickness,
trauma, violence, exploitation and human
trafficking. These special support centres will
provide in one single location a safe space for
children and their relatives, vital services,
family tracing, protection and counselling.
Greece, 23 February 2016. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees
The first Blue Dot hubs are now operational
Filippo Grandi talks with a family of refugees waiting to register during
or about to open in Greece, the former
his visit at the Moria Hotspot. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia,
Croatia and Slovenia. All 20 will be operational within the next 3 months.

United Nations Kosovo Team (UNKT) finalised the contingency plan for Kosovo in case
of an emergency refugee/migrant influx. The contingency plan is divided into 6 sectors, such
as (1) protection, (2) child protection and education, (3) health and nutrition, (4) shelter,
infrastructure, logistics and transport, (5) food and non-food items, and (6) water, sanitation and
hygiene (WASH). Each sector is led by a respective Agency and its alternate as agreed among UNKT
Agencies. In addition, each Agency has already designated the emergency focal person(s) to lead the
respective sectors under their responsibility as well as coordinate with other sector leads. The UNKT
preparedness plan serves as fail-safe instrument, which feeds into Kosovo authorities Contingency
Plan and brings together relevant international and national stakeholders in order to complement the
national plan and support authorities in fulfilling their responsibilities as well as filling eventual gaps
through a collaborative and coordinated approach. UNHCR Kosovo monitors the movements of
refugees/migrants in the Balkans and maintains close contacts with the Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MiA) to be able to respond swiftly to any transit or arrival of refugees/migrants in Kosovo.

On average, two children have drowned every day since September 2015 trying to
cross the eastern Mediterranean to find safety in Europe. Since last September, more than
340 children, many of them babies and toddlers, have drowned in the Eastern Mediterranean.
UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM warn that the number of child deaths was on the increase and call for more
measures to increase safety for those escaping conflict and despair. The stretch of the Aegean Sea
between Turkey and Greece is now among the deadliest routes in the world for refugees and
migrants. With children now accounting for 36 % of those on the move, the chance of them drowning
on the Aegean Sea crossing from Turkey to Greece has grown proportionately.

Donor and host countries raised more than US$6 billion and pledged continued
support, protection and opportunities for more than 22.5 million people in need of
humanitarian assistance both inside Syria and across the region. Co-hosted by the United
Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the UN, the pledging conference held on 4th February
mobilised an important record funding for humanitarian and development needs for Syrians and
neighbouring communities hosting them since 2011.
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