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IOM SEEECA Region | COVID-19 Weekly Overview 11 | 18 June 2020

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HIGHLIGHTS

IOM Turkey Calls for Greater Assistance as COVID-19 Restrictions Ease

As lock-down restrictions ease in the world’s largest refugee-hosting country, hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants continue face elevated levels of risk. Many are trying to return to work but can’t afford basic personal protective equipment (PPE) or pay for medical services should they fall ill.

Given this reality, further support to ensure greater protection of migrants in Turkey is urgently needed says IOM.

“The COVID-19 epidemic hit migrant and refugee communities in the larger cities such as Istanbul, Izmir and Gaziantep particularly hard,” explained IOM Turkey’s Emergency Coordinator Mazen Aboulhosn. “Hundreds of thousands of migrants lost their jobs. Many are still not able to afford food, medicine and healthcare.”

Albanians on the Frontline in Italy

Over 1.4 million Albanians live and work overseas, leaving only 2.8 million in the Balkan country. Many are in the regions of Italy which have been hardest hit by the Coronavirus pandemic, including Edita Fino, who is the focal point for an IOM disapora programme.

Her task in quieter times is to build and strengthen relations with the diaspora community and relevant associations in Italy, engage with Diaspora members, provide information, and promote Albania in Italy.

But since the early days of the pandemic she has been following the remarkable contributions being made by Albanians in their host country. Watch the video to find out more.

IOM Joins Call for Better Access to Remittances in Moldova

IOM has added its voice to a call by Switzerland, United Kingdom, World Bank, UNDP and UNICEF to the Moldovan authorities to take a set of measures that would make remittances more accessible to the population.

According to an IOM study, a quarter of Moldovan house holds receives remittances and for half of these, remittances constitute more than 50 per cent of disposable income. The same source indicates that 23.4 per cent of households would be placed below the poverty line if they did not receive remittances; with 17 per cent of all migrants saying they already stopped remitting under COVID-19 circumstances, risking placing many people under the poverty line.

Eastern Ukraine micro/ small-businesses require support

Micro and small enterprises in Ukraine government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions have had to dismiss one in three employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine, says a new survey by IOM.

Forty-nine per cent (49 per cent) of firms owned by internally displaced persons (IDPs) had to cease operations. The average drop in sales during the quarantine was estimated at 25 per cent.

“Because of their pre-existing vulnerabilities, IDPs appear more at risk of being unable to recover from the economic shock of COVID-19 control measures. Female-owned businesses are under greater strain as well,” explained Anh Nguyen, Chief of Mission at IOM Ukraine.