Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
Between January and August 2022, 165,738 refugees and migrants arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Serbia, a 74 per cent increase compared with 2021. People mainly came from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and the Syrian Arab Republic, and from North Africa. There are currently 102,574 refugee and migrant children in the region, including 14,054 who are unaccompanied or separated from their families.
These significant numbers of refugees and migrants have overwhelmed host countries' capacities to sustain and respond to their needs, particularly with the additional unprecedented arrivals of refugees from Ukraine.
With humanitarian and socioeconomic situations deteriorating globally, continued and increased inflows of refugees and migrants to the countries covered in this appeal are expected in 2023, with children and women remaining most vulnerable. UNICEF will continue working with national authorities and partners to ensure the rights of all children and families on the move are protected and access to quality services is ensured, regardless of their status or origin.
In 2023, UNICEF requires US$37 million to support host governments in ensuring that refugee and migrant children and families arriving through the Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes access health, nutrition, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and education services.
SECTOR NEEDS
473,450 refugees and migrants in five countries
102,574 refugees and migrant children in five countries
22,000 refugees and migrant children arrived in 2022
14,054 unaccompanied and separated children present
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
As of August 2022, there were an estimated 473,450 refugees and migrants (22 per cent children) living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Serbia, with approximately 165,738 new arrivals (up to 30 per cent children) recorded in 2022 - a 74 per cent increase compared with 2021. Arrivals came mainly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Burundi, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, the Syrian Arab Republic and North Africa.
In 2022, the countries covered in this appeal also received an estimated 265,118 refugees arriving from Ukraine in need of support and services.
Globally, the number of people on the move has increased significantly. This is due to conflict, climate and food insecurity. As a result, the number of people seeking refuge in Europe is expected to continue to grow in 2023.
In 2022, Italy registered 63,588 refugee and migrant arrivals by sea, including 6,590 unaccompanied and separated children - a 52 per cent increase in sea arrivals compared with 2021 - in addition to 4,384 land arrivals.
Refugee and migrant arrivals in Greece have increased by more than 150 per cent compared with 2021, with more than 1,000 people (including 250 children) arriving on average per month. Changes in the migration policy and the provisions for asylum-seekers and refugees, including accommodation, has had an impact on the number of people accommodated in these structures, with an overall drop in the population in reception facilities/programmes of almost 60 per cent compared with 2021, resulting in a significant increase in self-settled populations countrywide. Between January and August, more than 65,000 refugees and migrants (including 4,000 children) arrived in Serbia, double the arrivals compared with 2021. In Bosnia and Herzegovina,12,733 refugees and migrants arrived in 2022, a slight increase compared with the previous year; and 11,877 asylum applications were registered in Bulgaria, representing a steady rising since 2020.
The increase in numbers of new arrivals has overstretched national capacities to sustain support to all refugee and migrant populations. Overcrowded reception facilities have generated additional challenges in providing adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, sufficient access to health and protection services and learning opportunities for children and families. Insufficient measures to prevent and address gender-based violence put women and girls at increased risk. Inadequate reception, identification and protection mechanisms and the limited availability of alternative care and legal guardianship options exacerbate the vulnerability of unaccompanied and separated children.