Europe

The number of forcibly displaced and stateless people in Europe rose to 21.8 million by the end of 2022, including almost 12.4 million refugees, 1.3 million asylum-seekers, 7.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and 474,000 who were stateless.

The Ukraine emergency prompted UNHCR to significantly scale up operations in Ukraine and neighbouring refugee-hosting countries. Inside Ukraine, UNHCR provided protection and assistance to 4.3 million IDPs, including cash assistance for nearly 1 million people. UNHCR’s winterization activities such as cash top-ups, winterized nonfood items, improvement of reception facilities, and repair of houses benefited nearly 1.5 million people. Humanitarian assistance was prioritized in frontline and newly accessible areas through over 650 humanitarian convoys, including inter-agency convoys. In refugee-hosting countries, UNHCR reached 500,000 refugees with cash and 500,000 with protection services. Nearly 5 million refugees from Ukraine registered under the European Union’s Temporary Protection Directive and similar national schemes for inclusion in national systems and local communities. In support of national responses, UNHCR coordinated 142 partners in seven countries through the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Ukraine. UNHCR’s support for refugees included protection counselling and support in accessing education, health care, assistance for specific needs, accommodation and livelihoods. Almost 186,000 people were reached by 39 “Blue Dot hubs” established by UNHCR, UNICEF and other partners to facilitate access to information, services and referrals for persons with specific needs. In addition, 1.7 million people were reached through the “Stay safe” campaign with key messages on protection.

In Türkiye, UNHCR’s advocacy and cooperation with the Presidency of Migration Management (PMM) improved access to protection processes and services for Afghans, Iraqis, Syrians and Ukrainians. UNHCR supported PMM to update the data of 3 million people and assess the protection needs of 156,000. Some 10,000 refugees received cash assistance, 46,000 received in-kind assistance, while 77,000 accessed specialized services for specific needs. UNHCR submitted 20,400 refugees for resettlement consideration while supporting 10,100 people to depart to other countries globally, an increase of 37% over 2021. UNHCR continued its long-standing advocacy in favour of the European Commission’s proposed “Pact on Migration and Asylum”, an opportunity to create a legal framework for fair and fast asylum procedures and solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms among States. UNHCR also engaged with EU institutions and Member States to seek innovative, lawful ways to better respond to and manage increasingly complex mixed movements to Europe, while cautioning against proposals that risked downgrading or externalizing asylum obligations, standards and practices.

159,400 refugees and migrants arrived by Mediterranean and north-west African maritime routes, a 29% rise, adding to pressure on national reception capacities. Arrivals doubled to 18,800 in Greece, increased 37% to 4,000 in Cyprus, and rose by 55% in Italy to reach 104,500. Over 400 refugees and migrants arrived in Malta, a 48% decline, and arrivals via the western Mediterranean and north-west African maritime routes decreased by 36% to 31,800.

The experience of temporary protection for Ukrainians served as an impetus for broader inclusion efforts for refugees from elsewhere. This included identifying and addressing barriers to inclusion in national systems and access to services, and expanding private sector partnerships to facilitate employment opportunities. Refugee employment platforms were rolled out in six pilot countries in 2022 to facilitate access to decent work for forcibly displaced people.

Across the region, UNHCR advanced communitybased approaches to protection and refugee participation through refugee-led organizations, ranging from community mobilization in Malta against female genital mutilation, to social integration and information sessions for LGBTIQ+ refugees in France, and language training in Georgia. The first Refugee Advisory Board in Ireland was established in March 2022, building on similar initiatives in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Switzerland and Türkiye. In the Western Balkans, the Regional Housing Programme had assisted 10,000 families by year-end, and construction was extended until June 2023 after COVID-related delays.

In 2022, over 23,800 submissions were made globally to resettle refugees in Europe. The region received over 21,300 people on resettlement, 37% of total global resettlement departures, down from 54% in 2021.