In October 2021 Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) has proudly received a Certificate of Appreciation from its esteemed donor organization World Jewish Relief.

The Certification is in recognition of GCR’s ongoing dedication and support to deliver shared programmes and its contribution to the aims, objectives, and values of World Jewish Relief, empowering people to bounce back from adversities.

We would like to express our gratitude to World Jewish Relief for the ongoing support to our organization.

The Greek government should immediately disburse belated payments of cash assistance and ensure food provision to people living in facilities (e.g. camps and ESTIA apartments), irrespective of their legal status. Depriving them of this basic human right is shameful and a violation of fundamental human rights.  

Athens, October 18, 2021 - In a new bleak turn of events, people that seek or have received international protection in Greece, are now deprived of food or their cash allowance, due to the policies pursued by the Greek government and an overall lack of preparation to undertake its obligations. 

Those excluded from food provision reside in the camps and include people with valid refugee status, people who have not yet been registered in the reception system, and those individuals whose request for asylum has been rejected. Among those left hungry are 25% women (including pregnant women), single-headed families, 40% children, chronic patients, and patients with special medical and nutritional conditions. In some places, food is not even provided to those put in quarantine due to COVID 19. 

Although recognised refugees and the individuals whose request for asylum has been rejected should not be living in camps, many are forced to remain or return there, due to a lack of alternatives, reflecting Greece’s ongoing lack of a comprehensive integration strategy. The situation is similar for many people who have not yet been able to register their asylum applications, due to the chronic delays encountered in the Asylum Offices on the Greek mainland. 

Furthermore, thousands of asylum seekers included in food provision in Greek state-run accommodation, receive catered meals because of the temporary cash assistance gap. EU-funded cash assistance was planned to transition from UNHCR to the Greek government on 1 July 2021 but a 3-month delay was agreed between the two parties, to ensure a smooth transition. On October 1st 2021, the Greek government undertook this responsibility, as per the Greek state’s legal obligation to ensure minimum material reception conditions for asylum seekers. Yet, since this handover, about 36,000 people have not received their cash support, despite the fact that this transition was planned over a year ago. In an attempt to cover this gap, asylum seekers have been receiving portions of food, reportedly of very poor quality and often not fully cooked. 

Athens, 7 October 2021 – Today, the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) filed judicial review applications before the Greek Council of State for the annulment of the Joint Ministerial Decision of the Minister of Migration and Asylum and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of 7 June 2021. The Decision designated Turkey as a safe third country for nationals of Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Joint Ministerial Decision attempts to dismantle Greece’s obligation to assess asylum applications from refugees originating from said countries on their merits, in stark contravention of the rule of law, of the Constitution and of its international obligations, under a procedure contrary to EU law standards.

This Decision has already resulted in mass, rapid rejection of asylum seekers from the above five countries, who account for over 67% of asylum applicants in the country. The policy has not been revisited in light of recent developments in Afghanistan and the reinstatement of the Taliban regime.

Read the Press Release here

Read the Press Release here

Άρθρο Popaganda

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Άρθρο Popaganda

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