IOM Vision
In 2021, IOM Greece aims to continue to improve the well-being of migrant communities in the country and support the Greek authorities in providing immediate and long-term solutions through a wide range of activities, including Site Management Support (SMS) and shelter support, capacity building of local actors, protection, legal counselling, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), health support, integration, coupled with interventions to address the COVID-19 emergency and ensuring COVID-19 mainstreaming throughout. Special care and attention will be paid to migrants in a situation of heightened vulnerability, including unaccompanied migrant children.
Objective
Saving lives and protecting people on the move
Migrants, including applicants and beneficiaries of international protection, with a particular focus on families and children, as well as Unaccompanied Migrant Children and other migrants in a situation of vulnerability.
IOM's Camp Coordination and Camp Management initiatives will include:
- Enhancing Site Management Support through comprehensive streamlining and harmonization of procedures and the provision of technical assistance to Government counterparts on operational matters (e.g. transfer/allocation of migrants to sites).
- Improving shelter and WASH conditions through care and maintenance of the reception and accommodation facilities, ensuring access to safe water, coverage of utilities, repair of damaged facilities, solid waste management, garbage collection and disposal, maintenance of communal facilities and access to the internet.
- Improving living conditions through the provision of basic needs/supplies, such as food baskets and welcome kits (WKs) containing basic non-food items and safe IOM-organised transportation from remote sites to city centres.
- Strengthening of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) through community engagement activities (e.g. participation/representation in community meetings and in community-based events), including health promotion sessions focused on topics such as vaccinations, nutrition, direct health care service provision, management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, COVID-19 protective measures.
- Improved outreach to migrant communities residing in migrant settings to identify needs and respond to protection risks through direct assistance (case management), encompassing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), legal assistance, Child Protection.
- Streamlining Gender-Based Violence (GBV) mitigation measures and in case of disclosure of a GBV incident, safely and ethically linking survivors to available specialized services/referral pathways (offered by national authorities’ specialized actors).
- Continuous coordination with other protection actors (including governmental authorities and NGOs) through field-level coordination meetings with site actors, attendance in protection working group and ad hoc communication.
- Piloting and potentially expanding counter-trafficking initiatives to increase awareness within the affected communities, front-line respondents and authorities, as well as to provide direct assistance to victims and suspected cases of trafficking.
- Improved access to services and socio-economic benefits (such as health, education) through interpretation, accompaniment and establishment of open communication channels with relevant authorities, public services and civil society actors (NGOs, volunteer groups etc.).
- Increased opportunities for integration of migrants with host communities through non-formal education (e.g. language learning) and the acquisition of new skills (technical skills, soft skills).
- Enhancement of social cohesion through improved communication with local communities and relevant Migration, Health and Education authorities, aiming at promoting the prevention of abuse, neglect and exploitation of migrants and restoring their dignity through their inclusion in the social welfare system.
IOM's protection initiatives will include:
- Targeted and comprehensive assistance to UMCs through the operation of specialized accommodation facilities for temporary and long-term accommodation on the islands (e.g. safe areas) and on the mainland (e.g. shelters), including accommodation, food, non-food items, protection assistance (such as psychosocial, legal and educational support) and liaison with relevant services.
IOM's health support initiatives will include:
- Providing primary health-care services to migrants residing in first reception settings (islands) through the deployment of minimum medical personnel.
- Increasing awareness on hygiene and health promotion, inclusive of COVID-19 prevention and protection measures.
- Facilitating COVID-19 testing and vaccination procedures for affected populations to complement efforts in coordination with the national authorities, migrants residing in Reception and Identification Centres (RICs).
- Strengthening access to health care, irrespective of gender and age, by facilitating the scheduling of appointments with public health care structures.
Objective
Driving solutions to displacement
Migrants, including applicants and beneficiaries of international protection.
Restoring basic rights and promoting access to essential services:
- Conducting Integration Courses within Integration Learning Centers (physical attendance) and through newly developed e-platforms (online courses), consisting of modules on Greek language learning, cultural orientation, job readiness and life skills.
- Supporting beneficiaries towards independent accommodation in apartments rented in their name, by providing contributions to rental and move-in costs and communicating with apartment owners.
- Provision of individual employability and job readiness support, including through job counselling, access to job-related certifications and networking with private employers.
- Reinforcing employability opportunities by providing vocational training courses, traineeship options, entrepreneurship grants and other alternatives to accessing labour.
Social cohesion:
- Regular monitoring and assessment of the integration progress of the beneficiaries to ensure that they will be in a position to confidently navigate through Greek public service providers once they start living independently in Greece.
- Organizing sensitization workshops, activities and events and the production of a nationwide media campaign to create dialogue opportunities between migrants and their host communities, highlighting the value of the integration of migrants into Greek society.
- Organizing outreach and awareness-raising initiatives, joint events between migrant and local communities and other interventions (such as investments to public infrastructure at local level) to reduce migration related tensions in Greece and increase tolerance.
Promoting non-violence:
- Organizing participatory activities within the migrant and host communities (e.g. trainings, focus group discussions, joint events and workshops) to promote migrants’ access to essential services, such as employability and health and to lay the foundation to prevent forms of violence, such as violent extremism.
Greece
The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.
Figures are as of 31 December 2023. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.