UNHCR welcomes announcement of Refugee Olympic Team

James Nyang Chiengjiek, 25, is a refugee from South Sudan living in Kenya. He is competing in the 800m race. ; At age 13, James Nyang Chiengjiek fled his home in what was then southern Sudan to avoid being kidnapped by rebels who were forcibly recruiting child soldiers. As a refugee in neighbouring Kenya, he attended school in a highland town known for its runners and joined a group of older boys training for long-distance events. ìThatís when I realised I could make it as a runner ñ and if God gives you a talent, you have to use it,î he says.

At first, he did not have proper running shoes. Sometimes he borrowed footwear from others, but he won no matter what he wore on his feet. ìWe all of us got a lot of injuries because of the wrong shoes we had,î he says. ìThen we were sharing. If maybe you have two pairs of shoes, then you help the one that has none.î

When he goes to Rio, James aims to inspire others. ìBy running well, I am doing something good to help others ñ especially refugees,î he says. ìMaybe among them are athletes with talent, but who did not yet get any opportunities. We are refugees like that, and some of us have been given this opportunity to go to Rio. We have to look back and see where our brothers and sisters are, so if one of them also has talent, we can bring them to train with us and also make their lives better.î

UNHCR welcomes announcement of Refugee Olympic Team

05/06/201605/06/2016 ENstaff #WithRefugees, 2016 Olympic Games, Grandi, International Olympic Committee, Refugee Olympic Team, refugees, Rio de Janeiro, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR

UNHCR warmly welcomed announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the refugees who will compete as a team in the upcoming 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. They include two Syrian swimmers, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and six runners from Ethiopia and South Sudan.

society

Refugee crisis: Norway launched new rescue boat

02/06/201602/06/2016 ENstaff Embassy of Norway, Hellenic Rescue Team of Attica, Norway, Redningsselskapet., refugee crisis

The rescue boat “Norway 2” was recently launched and named in Lesvos by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

society

Ηigh death toll as 204,000 cross Mediterranean in 5-month period 2016

31/05/2016 ENstaff death, Mediterranean, migrants, refugees, sea, shipwrecks, UNHCR

A series of shipwrecks and capsizings last week on the Mediterranean now appears to have claimed at least 880 lives, according to new information we have received through interviews of survivors in Italy.

society

UNHCR concerned about conditions in new refugee sites

30/05/201630/05/2016 ENstaff FYROM, Greece, Idomeni, migrants, migration policy, refugee crisis, refugees, UNHCR

UNHCR is seriously concerned about sub-standard conditions at several sites in northern Greece where refugees and migrants were evacuated last week from the makeshift site at Idomeni, and urges the Greek authorities, with the financial support provided by the European Union, to find better alternatives quickly.

society

MSF: The alternative to the inhumane should not be the unknown for Idomeni refugees

26/05/201626/05/2016 ENstaff Greece, Idomeni, Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF, refugee crisis, refugees

As the eviction of residents from Idomeni camp continues, MSF denounces the forced movement of thousands of refugees, the lack of information provided about their destinations and the restrictions imposed on humanitarian assistance.

society

UNHCR – Thessaloniki Municipality sign refugee housing agreement

23/05/201623/05/2016 ENstaff asylum-seekers, EU, refugee crisis, refugees, UNHCR

The agreement will soon create 660 new accommodation places for refugees, who have applied to be relocated to another EU country and for vulnerable asylum-seekers.

society

Refugee “hotspots” in Greece unsafe, unsanitary – HRW

22/05/2016 ENstaff Greece, hotspots, human rights, Human Rights Watch, migrants, refugee crisis, refugees, Samos, UNHCR

Police are failing to protect people during frequent incidents of violence in closed centers on the Greek islands known as “hotspots,” Human Rights Watch said. The centers were established for the reception, identification, and processing of asylum seekers and migrants.

society

Registration of asylum seekers to begin in the next few weeks

20/05/201619/05/2016 ENstaff asylum-seekers, EU, European Commission, IOM, refugges, UNHCR

The Asylum Service will conduct a pre-registration exercise for international protection in the mainland from end of May to end of July.

Walid, his pregnant wife and their two children left Iraq in February this year. It took them a month to reach the Greek island of Samos through Turkey, and after suffering a short yet traumatic stint of detention in Turkey, they are now in a makeshift detention center, waiting desperately for information on what their future holds. Im doing my best, but is this a way to treat human beings? They are supposed to protect us, not put us in a big cage like animals, without any information on when our case will be processed.
For more details see: https://lc.cx/4BCy

society

MSF calls for immediate opening of “hotspots”

19/05/201619/05/2016 ENstaff Medecins Sans Frontieres, migrants, MSF, refugee camps, refugee crisis

Two months after the signing of the deal by the European Union and Turkey, the situation continues to deteriorate for migrants incarcerated on the Greek islands, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.

society

UN Refugee Agency training to strengthen coordination in Greece response

16/05/2016 ENstaff Giovanni Lepri, Leadership and Coordination workshops, UNHCR, Yannis Mouzalas

The first of three UNHCR Leadership and Coordination workshops started Monday in Athens and was attended by national and international NGOs, UN sister agencies and other actors in Greece’s refugee response effort.

interviews people

Ambassador of Norway:”The challenge for the Greek economy is its competitive edge and its business climate” [interview]

07/06/2016 ENstaff

The Ambassador of Norway in Athens, His Excellency Jørn Eugene Gjelstad, spoke to EmbassyNews.net and commented on the current developments in Greek and European politics, the economy and the refugee crisis.