Category: ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ

SolidarityNow actively supports the Human Right for All to Equal Opportunities for Access to the Labour Market

Posted on Tuesday January 22nd, 2019

Over 2,300 people were linked to the labour market and 380 found a job

Until today, SolidarityNow has responded effectively to the unemployment increased figures in Greece, the last 10 years of the economic recession. The organization has supported more than 2,300 unemployed people to connect with the labour market and has managed to find a job -either permanent or temporary- to more than 380 people. This has been achieved through the SolidarityNow Centers in Athens and Thessaloniki and the specialized Employability Services provided by the organization to all, without any exception.

 “In SolidarityNow we believe that the difficulties encountered by a person in his life cannot stand in the way of creating a new life. And that is exactly what we do through our Solidarity Centers and the specialized services offered by our teams: we help people to believe in themselves again, stand on their feet and claim their right to work. Our objective is to help them feel useful and become productive members of our society“, says Antigone Lyberaki, General Manager of SolidarityNow.

The Employability & Counseling Service’s objective is “to help people in this difficult time for the labour market to overcome internal and external barriers and thus create equal access and equal opportunities for all“, underlines Pepi Marioli, the Employability Service Team Leader, at the Athens Solidarity Center.

 Access to Labor Market

Everyone’s absolute human right, in any country of the world, is access to employment services*. SolidarityNow recognized the importance of the Employability Service from the initiation of its Centers’ operation, as the main service aiming at the future – the future of smooth social inclusion of people from vulnerable social groups found on the margins of the labour market due to the economic recession, humanitarian crisis or due to professional choices that don’t fit and/or satisfy them.

Results in Numbers – from Athens to Thessaloniki

Athens Solidarity Center | From January to December 2018, more than 1,000 people sought support from the Employability & Counseling Service. More than 130 out of them, found temporary or permanent employment.

Solidarity Center & Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki | From 2016 to 2018, more than 1,300 people received support from the Employability Service, and more than 250 found temporary or permanent employment.

One of them, as Pepi Marioli says, is “a 26-year-old Greek woman, who learned how to look for a job efficiently; she made her CV with the proper guidance; she recognized with the assistance of her work counsellor her personality traits and professional strengths. The result; Today she has a job in the field of her interest, and she is very happy!”

In addition, through the operation of the Employability Service at the Solidarity Centers, SolidarityNow aims to develop partnerships with corporate and institutional stakeholders in order to link employers and future employees, promoting diversity in the work environment.

SolidarityNow provides job opportunities

The organization itself is an example of a diverse working environment that fights unemployment by providing equal work opportunities to everybody regardless of origin or other criteria, supporting thus social integration. Today, SolidarityNow, in its programs and structures across Greece, employs more than 300 people – 61 of them come from different countries of the world.

Among them are Mohamed, Zahra and Manar – people who came to Greece as refugees and are currently employed at SolidarityNow in different positions depending on their knowledge, work experience and talents. SolidarityNow helped them start their new lives and become active members of their new social environment.

As the 39-year-old Manar from Syria, who works as an interpreter, says, the words “refugee” and “single mother” have been replaced by three strong descriptions: employed, independent, strong. Similarly, Zahra from Iran -interpreter- says that having a job makes her able to dream again; she dreams of becoming a famous painter, while Mohamed -English teacher- says that “what I really like is that I can change one’s life for the better, even on this small scale“.

“There is a trait that big companies of the world perceive slowly; however, this trait is embedded in the SolidarityNow DNA; namely that the diversity of people is a source of strength, inspiration and durability. Only a group of “citizens of the world” can face the challenges and problems of a complex world – of our world“, Antigone Lyberaki underlined.

Learn more about the Employability Service through the video: https://youtu.be/8QjI0Wk0xdI & listen to Manar, Zahra and Mohammed’s stories through their own narratives:

“My name is Manar”

“Zahra, the Strong Wings”

“Mohamed, the English Teacher”

* Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2012/C 326/02)

**The Employability Service operated in the Athens Solidarity Center and the Solidarity Center and Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki, as one of the many services provided pro bono to all those in need, and is supported by UNHCR with the funding of the E.U.

300,000 Beneficiaries in 5 years of Action

Posted on Tuesday December 18th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

“Our constant goal is to continue to be a catalyst for promoting the values of open and just societies”

Just 5 years after SolidarityNow was founded, the organization assesses its accomplishments that sum up to a great number: more than 300,000 vulnerable people have been supported through the organization’s actions and programs. These are people we have met, helped and empowered in many ways through the diversity of free services we provide across the country.

“The end of 2018 comes to reward SolidarityNow for its consistent efforts during its 5-year action. And this reward is more than the 300,000 people, whom we have supported practically and effectively to regain their lives and improve their safety and well-being; whether they were refugees to whom we offered accommodation and thus decent living conditions, mothers and children who needed protection, or unemployed Greeks whom we helped to find a job”,  notes Stelios Zavvos, the Chairman of SolidarityNow and continues: “SolidarityNow’s goal for the future is to continue to be a catalyst for promoting the values of open and just societies and defending the human rights of the most vulnerable”.

“For us, the 300,000 people who benefited directly from our programs are not a number“, says Antigone Lyberaki, SolidarityNow General Manager. “Every day, along with these 300,000 people, we have shared worries and fears but also happiness and excitement – what keeps us together is respect and solidarity. For us, an open society of tolerance and equality, requires the empowerment of all its members. Everyone must be able to make decisions about their lives. That’s what we do in SolidarityNow: we empower people to become independent, defending their own free will”.

Solidarity Centers, Open to All

The organization’s core activity is the operation of the two Solidarity Centers in Athens and Thessaloniki as well as the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki that has expanded SolidarityNow’s actions towards refugees, migrants and asylum seekers from 2016.

  • 63,000 people –Greeks, refugees, migrants- benefited from the services provided by the Athens Solidarity Center
  • 26,700 people benefited from the services provided by the Thessaloniki Solidarity Center
  • 6,100 people -refugees, migrants and asylum seekers- benefited from the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.

Shelter -and more- for more than 7,000 people in need

From 2016 to today, the organization has provided shelter and support to over 7,000 refugees and asylum seekers. SolidarityNow’s goal is to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers have access to the basic human right of housing and decent living through the implementation of innovative accommodation programs. The long-term goal is to improve their daily lives, empower them, make them strong enough to exercise their rights and take on the responsibilities of a new life. This becomes feasible by designing appropriate activities to empower beneficiaries; activities that contribute to their smooth social integration.

Education Matters | The Lifelong Learning Program

For SolidarityNow, education is a fundamental right for all and the implementation of educational activities is an integral part of the organization’s programs. Educational activities target both children and adults. During the last year (2017-2018), we mention indicatively that 5.900 educational activities were carried out in the framework of the accommodation program and 2,000 lessons were provided to adults and children in the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.

We give the floor to our beneficiaries!

“My anger suffocated me. Today, I share my story and receive significant help”, Sofia, 51 years old from Greece, beneficiary of the Psychological Counseling Service at the Athens Solidarity Center

“I give my credits to SolidarityNow for its Greek language lessons. I learned many new words!”., Haider, 17 years old from Pakistan, attends the Greek language courses held at Thessaloniki Solidarity Center

“I want my children to go to school; to learn Greek – I want to do more than I did”, Sayeed, 27 years old, member of the Rohingya community from Myanmar, lives in Greece along with his wife and children, as a beneficiary of the accommodation program

“This diploma is my birthday present!”, Sana, 22 years old from Pakistan, beneficiary of the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki, she attended the manicure-pedicure seminar

“I wanted to acquire new skills! I am a professor of Italian, but because my job cannot support my living, I need to do other jobs too”, Theodora, from Greece, beneficiary of the educational programs, graduated from the IT Essentials seminar organized with the CISCO Networking Academy

Sara and Seán are Free and Will Continue to Defend Solidarity

Posted on Wednesday December 12th, 2018

Berlin, 12 December 2018. Last week brought us news worthy of much celebration at SolidarityNow. On Wednesday 5 December, and after spending 107 days in pre-trial detention, Sara Mardini and Seán Binder were finally released on bail. Sara became internationally known when she and her sister Yusra pulled a boat to safety and saved a dozen refugees in 2015. She and Seán worked together as volunteers with ERCI on Lesvos for two years and were arrested in August under allegations of migrant smuggling, espionage against the Greek State, and money laundering. These charges are completely unfounded and end up criminalizing the very essence of humanitarian assistance, including standard practices used by many civil society actors on the front line of the ‘European refugee crisis’.

SolidarityNow supported the humanitarian volunteers throughout their detention, surrounding their defense with advocacy efforts in Greece and beyond. Through close collaboration with other organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, we worked towards their release from pre-trial detention and we will continue to fight until these baseless charges are dropped.

Upon release, we joined Sara in her celebrations with her family and friends who arrived from various parts of the world, as well as with her legal team. Seán was able to be reunited with his mother, who had rented an apartment on the island of Chios where her son was detained. Both Sara and Seán were freed without geographical restrictions. This means that after too long, they will both be able to get back to their normal lives – Sara to Berlin to continue her studies at Bard College and Seán to Ireland to focus on his academic research.

Today, Sara and Seán were reunited in Berlin and gave a Press Conference, shed light on their case, and vowed to continue promoting the values of humanity and solidarity. SolidarityNow participated in the panel to discuss the broader context in which these wrongful accusations occurred. This is part of a pan-European trend towards criminalizing humanitarian aid. While being used as a deterrent tactic by xenophobic governments, it only means that the journey across the Mediterranean will become even more treacherous for those fleeing war and persecution. As part of the #WelcomingEurope European Citizens’ Initiative, hundreds of civil society organizations and thousands of European citizens are fighting back against these restrictive policies that have created a hostile environment for people who help refugees and migrants.

Since May of this year, SolidarityNow has been spearheading the national efforts of the campaign, which is the first of its kind to address migration. Through this officially monitored tool, 1 million signatures from European citizens have the power to insist the European Commission comply with our joint-demand: end the criminalization of solidarity across Europe.

We have until 15 February to collect as many signatures as possible to be sure that humanity and justice are defended.

  • Sign the ECI today to add your voice to our call for a Europe of dignity and solidarity.

The SolidarityNow Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki Celebrates 2 Years of Operation

Posted on Monday December 3rd, 2018

7,000 beneficiaries from 61 countries, 50,000 free services

 Thessaloniki, December 3rd, 2018

In December 2018 SolidarityNow’s Blue Refugee Center celebrates its 2 years of operation in Thessaloniki. Over this period, more than 7.000 people from 61 countries of the world had access to more than 50.000 services provided pro bono. 

It is worth noting that of the 50,000 services provided pro bono, 33,500 corresponds to educational activities organized in the Center as a result of the organization’s priority to ensure the inclusion of all in education.

«Two years of hard work. Dedication, responsibility, fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, these are our staff’s feelings”, says Antigone Lyberaki, SolidarityNow’s General Manager, about the great accomplishments in just 2 years. “But the most important is that the Center celebrates 2 years of successful operation -2 years of relentless efforts, perseverance and patience, hope and dreams for a better life for the people – our beneficiaries. Ali, Fayrouz, Mohammed, Abdul, Sana are some of the people who found a job, who regained their self-esteem, believed in their abilities, learned Greek and now they are capable again of making the decisions for their life”, adds Ms Lyberaki.

The achieved results and numbers:  

  • 608 people attended more than 1,900 counselling sessions and have sought advice and support about work-related issues, through the Employability Service and more than 110 have found work.
  • 6,758 people received support from the Social and Psychological Service while 907 people benefited from the Legal Service.
  • 2,000 lessons were provided to adults and children participating in the Center’s educational program. At the same time, 130 young people (16-year-old and over) were supported by our educational teams and took examinations for the certification of attainment in the modern Greek language.
  • 1,670 children have participated in the activities organized in the Child-Friendly Space.
  • 1,288 mothers and children were supported by the organization’s teams in the Female Friendly Space.

A Center as a Meeting Point for Different People and Cultures

Educational courses and seminars, employability counselling, legal aid and psychosocial support, children’s/women’s and family’s space, cultural and recreational activities, place of open discussions, participation and decision-making, all these and much more comprise the SolidarityNow Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki.

The Blue Refugee Center is part of the organization’s programs in Northern Greece. It was founded in 2016 in Thessaloniki to support refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers and, in general, all those populations affected by the humanitarian crises.

SolidarityNow, through the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki, aims not only to empower refugees but also to give back to Greek society, by nurturing active citizens, creating new jobs and by bringing together diverse cultures and ideologies. In SolidarityNow we believe that together we can achieve more.

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*Blue Refugee Center is supported by (UNHCR) and UNICEF and funded by ECHO, the European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations.

WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY: 4,000 children – beneficiaries of SolidarityNow are going to school

Posted on Tuesday November 20th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

“Our goal is to ensure all children’s right to have access in education”

 Athens, February 20th, 2018

Today, November 20th, on the occasion of the World Children’s Day, SolidarityNow, focuses on the absolute right of all Children in Education and celebrates with thousands of them who are its beneficiaries, in Attica, Epirus and Northern Greece. Children hosted in structures under the accommodation program, children living in refugee camps and benefiting from the services provided by Children’s & Family Support Centers/Blue Dots and children visiting the organization’s Solidarity Centers.

Up to today and across Greece, SolidarityNow has supported approximately 4,000 children to enroll in school and has offered more than 10,000 free non-formal education activities.

“This World Day is for all of us a reminder of the need to protect children and their rights that are threatened and very often not respected”, said Antigone Lyberaki, General Manager of SolidarityNow. “In a world that is constantly tested, children are the vulnerable population group that needs special protection, and this is for us, at SolidarityNow, a top priority in all our programs. Our main concern is to ensure that the thousands of children that our field teams meet every day will be enrolled in school, attend their classes that may have been violently interrupted in their countries and join the free educational and creative activities that we organize. In a few words, we are trying to ensure that these children will gain back a regularity in their everyday life but also, they will have access to the absolute and universal right to education”.

In SolidarityNow, the protection of children’s rights is fundamental and an integral part of the organization’s vision, consistently with the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child*.

For all those children that their family life was disturbed, the school environment was not a given and have been expelled, the organization intervenes -in addition to securing the provision of accommodation to them and their families- focusing on education, aiming at their development, returning to normality, healthier social integration. Because in SolidarityNow, the inherent right of children to life implies the right to access to education.

“I like it here! Very much! All teachers are very good at me. My favorite lessons are physics and ancient Greek, but when I grow up, I will learn more about the computers I love!” – Ali, 15 years old from Afghanistan. He attends Greek, English, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics courses at the Blue Refugee Center.

In Numbers

Access to education for children aged 5 to 15 of the organization’s programs, in numbers:

Accommodation Program

  • 100% of the children living in the organization’s accommodation structures in Thessaloniki, Ioannina and Tilos are enrolled and go to school (total number of children: 169)
  • 73% of the children living in the organization’s accommodation structures in Athens are enrolled and go to school (192 out of the 264 children)
  • 6,638 training activities have taken place since the beginning of 2017 and till today in the accommodation structures (non-formal education activities).

Child and Family Support Hubs/Blue Dots

  • 600 children have been supported in school enrollment and regular attendance, for the time period November 2017-October 2018.

Solidarity Center & Blue Refugee Center, Thessaloniki

  • 709 children have attended the 3,700 educational activities organized in the Solidarity Center and the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki from the beginning of 2017 until today.

The education process never stops, so apart from providing children with access to formal education, non-formal educational activities are enriched by the organization’s expert teams in order to even more effectively respond to children’s needs by overcoming language and other barriers.

*The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989. The Convention was incorporated into national law in Greece by the Law 2101/1992.

The SolidarityNow accommodation program is part of ESTIA-Emergency Support to Integration & Accommodation program, supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and funded by European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

The Child and Family Support Hubs project is implemented by SolidarityNow with the support of UNICEF and funded by the European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

Thessaloniki Solidarity Center was established and is supported by the Open Society Foundations. The Blue Refugee Center is supported by the UNHCR and UNICEF and funded by European Commission – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

The Shelter that hosts Youth’s dreams

Posted on Thursday October 25th, 2018
Giorgos Georgiou

SolidarityNow embraces young refugees, supporting their way towards

their independent adult life

 Athens, October 25th, 2018

They are young, different and ready to pursuit their dreams! They are the 25 young men, aged 18-22, who live at the Youth Shelter operated by SolidarityNow and the Society for the Care of Minors, in the center of Athens.

A diverse group of people from many countries around the world, whose members live together under the same roof, share the same space, participate in common as well as in different activities and their bond is their shared dream: to become capable and claim a better future for themselves.

The Youth Shelter is now home for young male refugees and asylum seekers who, as adults, are deprived of a living environment, while they previously lived in accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minors; the Shelter offers them hospitality and support during this transition period of their lives – the one that starts with adulthood.

“Until yesterday they were the ‘unaccompanied minors’ hosted in accommodation facilities that operate especially for them. But when they became adults, and in compliance with the current law, these children were obliged to leave their place of residence and make it on their own; either they were ready for that step or not“, says Antigone Lyberaki, the General Manager of SolidarityNow and continues: “In SolidarityNow, with this program for young adults, aged 18-22, we primarily create a safety net by offering them a safe place to stay; a place where they will feel like home. Then, we empower them with all the necessary skills, including educational and professional training actions, to stand on their feet and start their own independent life“.

“I feel that this is my home. I have friends, I go to school, I cook, all these are my home“. This is how the 18-year-old Hamid from Afghanistan describes his stay at the Youth Shelter, while talking to the organization’s Head in the structure about his school achievements. Hamid lives in his new home -the Youth Shelter- since March 2018, when he turned 18.

SolidarityNow undertook the management of the Youth Shelter from the beginning of 2018. Apart from accommodation and food provision, a variety of pro bono services are provided to the Shelter’s beneficiaries:

– Psychosocial support

– Educational activities, with a focus on Greek language courses through the SolidarityNow implementing programs and relevant referrals to community centers – Employability counselling through the corresponding service operated in the organization’s Solidarity Center in Athens

– Medical escorting when necessary and legal support through the respective service operated in the organization’s Solidarity Center in Athens.

Furthermore, and in order to accomplish the above, as well as to enhance the interaction with the local community, many group recreational and cultural activities are organized in the Youth Shelter supporting social inclusion, community sense and self-reliance.

*The Youth Shelter operated by SolidarityNow in partnership with the Society for the Care of Minors and Youth in the framework of the organization’s Accommodation program, is part of the ESTIA- Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation of the UNHCR and funding by the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).

We all together said ‘by[e] plastic’ in an Open Day event!

Posted on Friday October 5th, 2018
K_Zirganos-Kazoleas for SolidarityNow

An educational action by SolidarityNow

What happened on Saturday, September 29th, among three machines, plastic objects and an excited group of people?

Despite the adverse weather conditions at the end of September, 20 people came eagerly and with increased curiosity at the SolidarityNow Intercultural Center “Diadromes” at 11am to learn how to recycle/up-cycling useless plastic materials.

All of them had brought plastic bottles, cups and bags in different sizes and for two hours they were informed and actively involved in a recycling/up-cycling process of plastic material.

After acquaintance between the associates, participants and machinery operators, one of the last presented to the public the categories of plastic, asking everyone then to separate the plastic objects they had brought based on what they’ve learned. The aim was to separate the objects in the different categories of plastic so that with the appropriate techniques the team could transform the plastic objects into something new and creative using the Precious Plastic machines.

And so, it happened.

The process was simple. Participants placed the plastic object in the cutting machine, then into the respective melting machine, and finally, the melted plastic was placed into a mold that had a polygonal shape. The participants welcomed the result of this procedure with great enthusiasm!

Because the result was an object that can be used in many ways: it was a polygonal tile that if painted can decorate a wall or can be utilized, among others, and as a coaster!

With the promise for many other similar actions and open days, the workshop was completed, and all together said ‘Bye’ and ‘By Plastic’, since they initially goodbye a plastic object and then created a brand new one by plastic.

Contact us at education@solidaritynow.org and get informed about the upcoming open day events of the By(e) Plastic program.

*The Open Day event was organized in the context of the educational program By(e) Plastic that is implemented by SolidarityNow, in collaboration with Electra Energy Cooperative and Precious Plastic Greece, while was also linked to the Goal 12 on “Responsible Consumption and Production”, one of the 17 Goals set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN, and the event was jointly organized by SolidarityNow and the Hellenic Platform for Development.

**This educational action was implemented in the framework of the lifelong learning initiative entitled “Education Matters”, implemented by SolidarityNow since December 2017, in collaboration with Almasar and the support of the Development Forum.

SolidarityNow invites everyone to a recycling workshop of plastic materials!

Posted on Wednesday September 26th, 2018

We are waiting for you on Saturday, September 29th, from 11.00 to 13.00, to share with you a unique experience through an awareness and experimentation workshop on the recycling/up-cycling of plastic materials!

SolidarityNow, in collaboration with Electra Energy Cooperative and Precious Plastic Greece, organizes a workshop aiming at raising awareness and providing experimentation on the recycling/up-cycling of plastic materials. The action will take place at the Intercultural Center “Diadromes”, 26, Boukouvala Str., in Ambelokipi, where SolidarityNow offers educational programs open to all, in the framework of the Education Matters initiative, in partnership with Almasar and with the support of the Development Forum.

Take a plastic product with you and see it transformed using cutting, melting and recycling of plastic materials machines! At this open to the public event, the participants will be informed about creative recycling and will have the chance, with the guidance of the experts, to transform the useless plastic materials into something new, inspired and useful!

How? A plastic bag, a plastic bottle, a plastic cup will get a different form and utility with the recycling machines of Precious Plastic Greece and the experts’ guidance.

The action is linked to the Goal 12 on “Responsible Consumption and Production”, one of the 17 Goals set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN, and the event is a joint event of SolidarityNow and the Hellenic Platform for Development.

**In the framework of the lifelong learning program entitled “Education Matters”, implemented by SolidarityNow since December 2017, the organization adapts actions that respond to the participants’ everyday needs and enhance their skills set as one of its objectives, access to labor market. Already, during 2017, more than 2,200 people in Athens and Thessaloniki participated at the SolidarityNow programs, mainly to learn the Greek and English languages; numbers have been increasing gradually in 2018.

** The Intercultural Center “Diadromes” is located at 26 Boukouvala str., Ampelokipoi–Gyzi.

Conditions at Moria are “shameful”.

Posted on Thursday September 13th, 2018
Giorgos Moutafis for SolidarityNow

19 NGOs decry conditions at the site, now worse than ever, and call for sustainable solutions to both decongest the islands and improve conditions across first receptions centres in North Aegean Sea.

Athens, September 13, 2018 – Over 17,000 people remain crammed in Greek island reception centers with a total capacity for only 6,000, living in desperate conditions which do not meet humanitarian standards. This, despite public assurances from the Greek Minister of Migration Policy, Dimitris Vitsas, that the islands would be decongested by September and that thousands of new places would be created on the Greek mainland. As conditions continue to deteriorate, 19 civil society organisations once again urge authorities to engage in the creation of sustainable solutions for the decongestion of the islands and to immediately improve reception conditions for refugees. It is nothing short of shameful that people are expected to endure such horrific conditions on European soil.

Moria, the first reception centre on the Greek island of Lesvos, recently described in a BBC report as “the worst refugee camp in the world,” is currently hosting almost three times its capacity. The sewage system does not work, and filthy toilet water reaches the tents and mattresses where children sleep. This, despite funds for sewage system improvement having been approved for some time. Reports of sexual violence and abuse are on the rise. The first reception centre on Samos is six times over its capacity.

In addition, chronic shortages in crucial staff are further exacerbated by the constant resignations of health professionals working in the island sites, who are resigning as a result of untenable working conditions. The Keelpno coordinator on Samos was recently quoted in the Greek press as saying that, despite Greece’s ongoing financial struggles, “medical staff prefer taking the road of unemployment, rather than having to work under such conditions”.  Earlier this week, staff at Moria staged a strike to protest conditions at the site. Also this week, the Prefecture of the Northern Aegean described Moria as “unsuitable and dangerous for public health and the environment,” and warned that the site would be closed in 30 days if sanitary conditions are not improved dramatically. In this environment, civil society organisations working on the islands also find it increasingly difficult to do their work.

There is no excuse for the shameful conditions in which thousands of people remain trapped in limbo while they wait out their asylum claims. The Greek authorities must take immediate and urgent action to ensure that refugees benefit from full access to their basic rights and that they are accommodated in dignified conditions, in accordance with national and international law. The relief measures promised by the Greek authorities to create thousands of additional safe and dignified accommodation spaces on the mainland and transfer people off the islands to the mainland must be implemented immediately as a matter of urgency. At the same time, EU leaders should urgently renew efforts to unblock discussions on the implementation of a fair and permanent mechanism of responsibility allocation within the European Union.