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Global Report 2022
Route |
Central Mediterranean Route |
West Mediterranean Route |
North-west Africa Maritime Route |
|||
Year 2021 |
Year 2022 |
Year 2021 |
Year 2022 |
Year 2021 |
Year 2022 |
|
Departures |
107,514 |
139,813 |
34,266 |
20,707 |
26,724 |
18,038 |
Disembarkations in North and North-west Africa |
52,905 |
52,299 |
15,329 |
6,494 |
3,682 |
2,356 |
Sea arrivals in Europe |
54,609 |
87,514 |
18,937 |
14,213 |
23,042 |
15,682 |
Dead and missing |
1,545 |
1,453 |
418 |
578 |
1,153 |
643 |
Central Mediterranean route: Algeria, Egypt, Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia.
Western Mediterranean route: Algeria, Morocco and Spain (not including the Canary Islands).
North-west Africa maritime route: Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco and the Canary Islands – excluding the rest of Spain.
2022 situation overview
In 2022, deteriorating security and conflicts caused new internal and cross-border displacement in the Sahel region and in the East and Horn of Africa, bringing the total number of refugees and asylum-seekers to 11.3 million and internally displaced people (IDPs) to 19.5 million. This represents respective increases of 2.5% and 2% compared to 2021. Many people with international protection needs as well as migrants (mixed movements) continued to arrive in North African countries by land and by air, including from the West and Central Africa and the East and Horn of Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Syrian Arab Republic. In 2022, some 62,000 new asylum-seekers were registered by UNHCR in North Africa countries.
During the year, 178,558 people left North Africa on dangerous and irregular sea journeys to Europe, 6% more than in 2021. More than one-third of these people were disembarked back in North African countries following recue and / or interception at sea. Some 2,674 people were reported dead or missing in the Central and Western Mediterranean Sea and on North-West Africa maritime routes. 3,116 people were reported dead or missing on the same sea routes in 2021.
117,409 irregular sea arrivals were registered by Italy, Spain, and Malta, a 22% increase from 2021. The top nationalities of arrivals to Italy were Egyptians, Tunisians, Bangladeshis, Syrians, and Ivorians. The number of departures from Libya to Italy increased by 16%, and from Tunisia by 57%. Total arrivals in Italy increased by 62%, reflecting: (i) the evolving context in Libya with a reduction of sea-departures from Western Libya and an increase of the same from eastern Libya; and (ii) more people choosing to depart from Tunisia. In Spain, the top arrivals were Moroccans, Senegalese, Ivorians, Guineans, and Malians. Departures from Morocco and Western Sahara to Spain decreased by 47%, and overall arrivals in Spain were 29% lower than in 2021. Only 444 people arrived in Malta in 2022. Almost half of those arriving in Europe on these routes were nationals of Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. Based on UNHCR’s research, 47% of all those who travelled these routes and sought international protection in the 27 European Union States, Norway or Switzerland between January 2017 and June 2022 qualified for some form of international protection.
A total of 61,149 individuals were disembarked in Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia in 2022 representing decreases of 24% in Libya and 38% in Algeria, and a 34% increase in Tunisia - compared to 2021. UNHCR continued to underscore that Libya is not a place of safety for disembarkation for persons rescued and intercepted at sea.
All routes pass through North Africa, regardless of their origin. Refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as migrants, continued to arrive in countries in North Africa in deplorable conditions, faced with multiple dangers (including from traffickers and smugglers) and limited protection and assistance services available en route or upon arrival. In 2022, the growing number of individuals newly arriving placed additional stress on national asylum systems as well as UNHCR operations.
UNHCR continued efforts to identify individuals with international protection needs, including through revised approaches to registration, in the context of mixed movements. Priority was given to identifying individuals with critical protection needs and to strengthened presence at disembarkation points. UNHCR also reinforced its communication with communities to inform people on the move about the specific risks associated with onward movement, how to access protection and assistance in the country where they were currently located, and on exploring alternatives to such dangerous journeys.
UNHCR also continued evacuations of vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya to Niger, Rwanda, and Italy to save lives and ensure access to protection and durable solutions. 353 vulnerable individuals departed through the Emergency Transit Mechanisms to Niger and 629 to Rwanda. 689 evacuated refugees – 266 in Niger and 423 in Rwanda – were resettled in third countries. 393 refugees were evacuated via the humanitarian corridor to Italy.
In West and Central Africa, UNHCR supported community-based identification and referral mechanisms along the routes. More than 700 first-contact entry officials and community members along key routes in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Niger received training from UNHCR and partners on asylum and protection during the year. More than 32,000 people on the move, including 13,000 fleeing conflict and persecution were observed by these officials with referrals of some 2,500 people to protection services, including national asylum systems, as an alternative to risky onward movements. Information on protection risks en route and alternatives to dangerous journeys was provided to over 70,000 people on the move or in host communities. Building on their new “Framework of engagement”, UNHCR and IOM agreed to strengthen collaboration in the region, with a focus on data, referrals, reinforcement of local services, communication with communities, and training.
In Mali, the number of IDPs increased to 380,000 people, while the IDP population in Burkina Faso was estimated by the Government at 1.9 million by the end of 2022. The Sahel crisis also uprooted an estimated 22,000 nationals from Burkina Faso who fled towards Bénin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo by the end of 2022. Mauritania received regular inflows of Malian refugees and asylum-seekers, bringing their total in that country to 102,500 people, up from 75,900 in 2021.
Displacement driven by conflict and extreme weather in the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region raised associated risks of trafficking in persons. At the end of 2022, the region hosted 13.6 million IDPs who were displaced due to complex and interplaying dynamics related to conflict and climate change. In Ethiopia, 1.4 million people were displaced from the western part of Tigray region between November 2020 and the end of 2022, while drought displaced more than 1 million people inside Somalia between January 2022 and early 2023. At 2022 year-end, the number of IDPs within Somalia had risen to 3 million. Sudan hosted 923,600 million refugees and asylum-seekers as well as 3.6 million IDPs, 500,000 of whom were displaced since July 2021.
In Somalia and Sudan, UNHCR continued route-based awareness-raising on protection risks and available services through “Telling the Real Story”. Some 16,628 households in Sudan’s Kassala and Gedaref states were reached with information about the risks of onward movement and the techniques used by smugglers and traffickers. 600 victims of trafficking were identified in Khartoum, Kassala and Gedaref and provided with legal aid and other services as needed. Throughout 2022, the Office also delivered 10 training seminars on mixed movements and trafficking in persons to Government and law enforcement officials, the judiciary, academia, and journalists in Khartoum, Kassala and Gedaref.
In Europe, UNHCR continued its long-standing advocacy in favour of the draft EU Pact on Migration and Asylum as a key opportunity to create a common legal framework for fair and fast asylum procedures and solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms among States. UNHCR also continued to advocate for the creation of a robust and predictable State-led search and rescue capacity, coupled with regional cooperative arrangements ensuring predictable, safe disembarkation and subsequent processing of refugees and migrants rescued at sea. UNHCR recalled that saving life at sea is not only a long-standing maritime tradition, but a legal duty of States.
In Italy, Malta, and Spain, UNHCR continued supporting the Governments to monitor and improve reception conditions and refugee status determination procedures through training, technical support and advocacy. In Italy alone, UNHCR conducted 79 monitoring visits to facilities hosting displaced people and engaged authorities in over 1,000 protection advocacy interventions. In Malta, 63 outreach visits were conducted to localities hosting displaced people to identify needs, provide information and make referrals, especially for the most vulnerable. In Spain, following recommendations from UNHCR, the police authority established a mechanism to facilitate access to asylum procedures in the detention centre on the Canary Islands bringing a marked improvement with timely registration and improved reception conditions for arrivals by sea.
To help address obstacles to inclusion and integration in Italy, Malta, and Spain, UNHCR expanded its outreach to key stakeholders including municipalities and the private sector. In Italy, UNHCR worked jointly with the municipalities of Bari, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Rome, and Turin to launch the Charter for Integration (Carta per l’integrazione), wherein municipalities agreed to promote integration activities. These include the creation of local multifunctional integration centres (Spazi Comuni), which offer services to displaced people. The network of private companies in the “Welcome Programme” was also expanded in Italy, supporting more than 20,000 refugees with job inclusion pathways and opportunities. In Malta, UNHCR provided basic inclusion and integration support through the provision of information, help with accessing bus cards, opening bank accounts, preparing CVs, and searching for jobs, applying for employment licences, and enrolling in basic language classes.
The role of refugee led organizations (RLOs) in civil society was strengthened in Italy and Spain, where UNHCR supported 10 new organizations in Italy through the PartecipAzione network, which already comprised 50 organizations across the country. In Spain, UNHCR provided three new RLOs with technical and financial support to enhance their capacity as protection actors. The Office also established two-way communication with 19 new RLOs across Spain, expanding the national RLO network to 35 members as essential partners in ensuring two-way communication with refugee communities, reinforcing information provision, and identifying appropriate sustainable solutions to challenges and protection needs faced by refugees.
The impact of partnerships
In support of the European Union and African Union’s Joint Vision for 2030 for an enhanced and reciprocal partnership for migration and mobility, UNHCR’s engagement and advocacy with States on the protection of refugees and migrants travelling in mixed movements on land and sea was strengthened in 2022 through close partnership with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Cooperation with ICMPD, the facilitator and convenor of the Rabat and Khartoum Processes under the Joint Valletta Action Plan, allowed UNHCR to maintain particular focus on initiatives in asylum and protection and strengthening legal pathways under the Rabat Process. In the Khartoum Process, UNHCR supported return, reintegration, climate action and combating trafficking in persons. Under their new “Framework for engagement”, UNHCR and IOM launched joint initiatives on research, data analysis and communication with communities along the mixed movement routes and worked together to revitalize the AU-EU-UN Task Force on Libya. They also Jointly cooperated with UNODC on the Platform for Action on Cases of Trafficking and Aggravated Smuggling (PACTAS), a pilot project that identified 204 incidents of trafficking involving more than 12,000 victims in 2022. This mechanism aims to identify and report on incidents of trafficking and aggravated smuggling from a variety of sources and make referrals to competent national, regional, and international institutions for appropriate action.
UNHCR strove to find solutions for unaccompanied and separated children and vulnerable youth, including family reunifications. Partnerships with the International Refugee Assistance Project, RefugePoint and Miles4Migrants resulted in 95 family reunification departures to third countries. This work was reinforced through a cross-regional data collection and research partnership with the Mixed Migration Centre to better understand the experiences, protection needs, intentions and agency of children and youth in mixed movements along the routes. This partnership was also triangulated with United Cities and Local Governments to strengthen urban and city-to-city initiatives focusing on the protection of people on the move.
UNHCR’s key achievements and results
In July 2022, as part of its efforts to advocate for better responses to address abuses against refugees and migrants along these routes, UNHCR updated and widely disseminated in English and French a report on the mapping of protection services available to vulnerable people on the move, including victims of trafficking. It underscored the lack of protection services in multiple locations, particularly in remote and border areas. The report was disseminated in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Somalia, and Sudan.
UNHCR sought to increase broad-based cooperation on protection at sea through continued dialogue with Mediterranean and West African coastal States linked to the situation. This aimed to make it easier to disembark people rescued at sea in a place of safety and encourage international solidarity on access to protection and solutions, at a time when States’ policies were rendering search and rescue (SAR) operations more difficult. UNHCR continued to generate information and analysis on sea departures, arrivals, protection incidents at sea, interception, rescue and disembarkations and to advocate with States and regional bodies on related protection priorities. From June 2022, monthly consultations were held with the organizations that formed the UNHCR convened “Central Med SAR Network”, including NGOs, UN, and other international and regional agencies. The network became an active forum to share information on SAR challenges and advocacy opportunities in the central Mediterranean Sea and informed the work of the Inter-Agency Group on the Protection of Refugees and Migrants Moving by Sea at global level.
Global Appeal 2023
Route |
Central Mediterranean Route |
Western Mediterranean Route |
North-west Africa Maritime Route |
|||
Year 2021 |
Jan-Sept 2022 |
Year 2021 |
Jan-Sept 2022 |
Year 2021 |
Jan-Sept 2022 |
|
Departures* |
107,514 |
90,168 |
34,266 |
14,554 |
26,724 |
13,951 |
Disembarkations** |
52,905 |
33,148 |
15,329 |
5,069 |
3,682 |
1,432 |
Sea arrivals*** |
54,609 |
58,494 |
18,937 |
9,424 |
23,042 |
12,519 |
Dead and missing**** |
1,545 |
1,017 |
418 |
140 |
1,153 |
368 |
*Departures represent the total arrivals in Europe (Italy, Malta and Spain) and disembarkation in the North and West African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia).
**Disembarkations in North and West African countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara).
***Sea arrivals based on data from country of arrival.
****Dead and missing data (UNHCR).
Central Mediterranean Route: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Italy and Malta.
Western Mediterranean Route: Algeria, Morocco and Spain (not including the Canary Islands).
North-west Africa Maritime Route: Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco and the Canary Islands – excluding the rest of Spain.
2023 situation overview
As Member States of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) pursue a new phase in their partnership under a joint vision on cooperation for 2030 announced in February 2022, the suffering and loss of life continues unabated for refugees and migrants travelling in mixed movements from East, Central and West Africa to North Africa and – for some – to Europe’s shores. The number of who perished, were reported missing, or who endured unspeakable violations of their human rights in 2021 and 2022 bears witness to this very public and sustained tragedy, with no end in sight. And while public and media attention have concentrated on sea movements from North and West Africa to Italy, Malta and Spain, there was less focus on movements across the Sahara which also produced a devastating human toll. Similarly, much less attention and fewer resources are channelled towards the equally important south-to-south mixed movements, i.e. movements within Africa, which present similar protection risks.
In 2022, deteriorating security, conflicts and climatic factors caused new internal and cross-border displacement in the Sahel region and in the East and Horn of Africa. The numbers of internally displaced people (IDPs) grew rapidly in several sub-Saharan regions. In Mali, the number of IDPs doubled in two years. In Burkina Faso, the IDP population was estimated by the Government at 1.7 million as of 30 September 2022. Spillover from the Sahel crisis saw an estimated 8,500 Burkinabé nationals arrive in Bénin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo between April 2021 and July 2022, where further onward movement to coastal countries of West and North Africa may create more tragedy. In Ethiopia, 1.37 million people have been displaced from the western part of Tigray region since November 2020, while drought and conflict had displaced 1.233 million people within Somalia as of August 2022. Sudan continues to host 1.147 million refugees and asylum-seekers as well as 3.7 million IDPs (500,000 have been displaced since July 2021).
Many people in need of international protection in sub-Saharan regions went to Libya in 2022, transiting through countries such as Chad, Egypt, Niger and Sudan. Others arrived in Morocco and Tunisia by land, sea and air. In several transit and host countries, the presence of non-state armed groups and counter-terrorism operations by States limited the ability of UNHCR and partners to provide protection and assistance along key routes. Terrorism and cross-border and cross-regional criminality, including trafficking in persons, are gaining ground where fragile State systems and national rule of law capacities are ever more challenged to offer protection and social stability to their populations. In parallel, restrictions affecting freedom of movement aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 have been relaxed in some countries along the routes allowing for increased mobility. However, a lack of due process and oversight on asylum and migration management have led to returns of refugees and migrants in adverse circumstances to some countries of origin, in particular to Ethiopia. Collective expulsions without due process or protection safeguards from some States have also continued in considerable numbers.
In order to save lives and ensure access to protection and durable solutions, UNHCR continued the evacuations of vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya to Niger and Rwanda through the Emergency Transit Mechanisms (ETM), as well as the humanitarian corridor to Italy. From January to September 2022, 179 vulnerable individuals departed to Niger and 455 to Rwanda, where resettlement to a third country is the main solution available. UNHCR will advocate for increased resettlement quotas from the ETMs to enable solutions to keep pace with evacuations, as well as for increased resettlement places directly from Libya.
Irregular sea movements from Libya and Tunisia are expected to increase in 2023, while maritime movements from North-west Africa may also increase due to insufficient access to regular, safe and orderly pathways. This trend will be fed by increasing numbers of asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants arriving in North Africa in 2023 and a significant number will again attempt to reach Europe. Increasing numbers of North African nationals (notably Egyptians, Moroccans and Tunisians) are also expected to attempt this perilous crossing.
From January to September 2022, irregular sea arrivals to Italy, Malta, and Spain along the Central and Western Mediterranean routes as well as the North-west Africa maritime route numbered 80,437. This represents a 19% increase compared with the same period in 2021. Arrivals to Italy alone increased by 49% in 2022, while arrivals to Spain decreased by 22% (57% of arrivals recorded in Spain in the first nine months of 2022 were in the Canary Islands). Only 283 people had arrived in Malta as of September 2022.
In the first nine months of 2022, 1,157 people are known to have lost their lives or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea, with an additional estimated 368 victims along the North-west Africa maritime route. This adds to the toll of 1,963 people reported dead or missing at sea along the Central and Western Mediterranean Sea in 2021.
In 2022, as of the end of September, 36,376 people had been disembarked in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania. This represents respective decreases of 34% in Libya and Algeria, and a 7% increase in Tunisia compared to the same period in 2021. UNHCR continues to advocate that Libya is not place of safety for the purpose of disembarkation following rescue at sea.
In 2023, UNHCR will maintain strong engagement and support to the AU-EU-UN Tripartite Taskforce in common efforts to save and protect the lives of refugees and migrants along the mixed movements routes and inside Libya. More broadly, the Office will work with regional structures and diplomatic missions on priorities related to the management of mixed movements in the context of the Khartoum and Rabat processes, under the Joint Valletta Action Plan.
African States, the African Union and Regional Economic Communities may make modest advances with free movement regimes, but the gap between policy declaration and implementation will likely persist. Comprehensive action is urgently needed on the part of States to lead the humanitarian development-linked responses to the effective management of mixed movements in order to address the root causes of displacement.
In North Africa, UNHCR will strengthen efforts to secure access to, and identify people with, international protection needs in the context of mixed movements. It will increase outreach and communication with communities on the risks associated with dangerous onward journeys and advise on access to protection and assistance already available where people are. UNHCR will promote viable alternatives to onward dangerous journeys, including through socioeconomic inclusion, access to livelihood opportunities and the use of safe and legal pathways. The Office will also strengthen partnerships with IOM and other key organizations to enhance data and analysis of protection needs in mixed movements and inform operational responses.
In West and Central Africa, UNHCR will reinforce national protection and asylum systems in coastal countries to provide meaningful alternatives to dangerous onward movements. It will strengthen community-based identification and referral mechanisms along key routes and address basic needs in countries of asylum hosting large numbers of displaced populations, such as Chad. It will also continue its contribution to the inter-agency protection monitoring Project 21 covering Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger to generate joint protection analyses and document needs, gaps and risks, and inform protection programming in areas affected by conflict and forced displacement.
In the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, UNHCR will strive to preserve and strengthen asylum space and safeguard access to quality registration and asylum procedures and protection in line with international standards, noting that many refugees highlight delays in registration and RSD procedures as one of the key factors precipitating onward movements. The Office will strengthen movement monitoring and service provision along the routes, with a particular emphasis on children, women and youth, and will support States to identify and address weaknesses in procedure and practice which contribute to the root causes of onward movement. UNHCR will also strengthen collaboration with Regional Economic Communities, governments, and key stakeholders to reinforce and maximize protection capacities, save lives and to manage and respond to mixed movements. In this regard, UNHCR will support the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with the development of an IGAD Common Refugee Management Policy to harmonize refugee protection and assistance frameworks across IGAD member states. In Sudan, UNHCR will contribute to strengthening durable solutions coordination structures within and between the UN, NGOs, and the Government, including by setting up a dedicated a Durable Solutions Unit within the Resident Coordinator’s Office and revamping the Durable Solutions Working Group. The region will continue to expand access to resettlement and complementary pathways opportunities, focusing on countries with high numbers of reported incidents of irregular movements. UNHCR will also work closely with resettlement countries to address their post-submissions inventories representing tens of thousands of refugees in protracted situations who are pending in the resettlement pipeline for years and who may opt for dangerous onwards journeys in the absence of immediate solutions.
In Europe, UNHCR will engage with the European Commission, Member States, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and other relevant actors to work towards greater solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms in Europe. UNHCR will advocate for States to: (i) meet their maritime search and rescue responsibilities; (ii) work towards establishing effective, protection-sensitive and context-specific management of mixed movements; (iii) support alternatives to dangerous irregular movements through additional resettlement places and complementary safe legal pathways, including family reunification, labour and education mobility.
More broadly, UNHCR will adapt its cross-regional mixed movement strategy as required and will mobilize resources and facilitate coordination for its implementation. UNHCR will strengthen collaboration with IOM, in light of the new Framework of Engagement, and other partners to enhance data collection and analysis on both land and sea, and reinforce communication and advocacy related to protection of refugees and other people of concern. UNHCR in coordination with IOM will continue to engage with national government authorities to facilitate safe, dignified and legal returns for those not in need of international protection or without other grounds for legal stay in receiving countries. Working with partners, UNHCR will continue to analyse the drivers and risks of dangerous journeys and onward movements and will promote access to durable solutions, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees and UNHCR’s “Three year strategy on resettlement and complementary pathways”. Special renewed emphasis will be placed on advocacy with national authorities to increase access to resettlement and to explore and chart more and innovative avenues to complementary legal pathways, including through family reunification, education and labour mobility. Priority will also be placed on the protection of children and youth against risks associated with irregular movement.
A combined approach of outreach to the communities along the routes including information-sharing and awareness-raising, and programmatic interventions, is needed along key routes to effectively address protection and solutions challenges within mixed movements. Intermediary cities and local authorities along these key routes will become important protection and solution partners as UNHCR develops its Cities #WithRefugees initiative, in cooperation with United Cites and Local Governments, the Mixed Migration Centre, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, and other partners.
Global Report 2021
Arrivals (refugees and migrants)
In 2021, Europe received 29% more arrivals via the Mediterranean and north-western African maritime routes than in 2020. Arrivals remained stable in Spain but decreased by 43% in Greece. In 2021, some 2,000 people were known to have lost their lives or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea, 41% more than in 2020. In addition, it is estimated that a further 1,153 people lost their lives or went missing along the north-western African maritime routes although the actual numbers are likely higher.
123,000 arrivals:
- Greece: 9,200
- Spain: 43,000
- Italy: 67,000
- Malta: 800
- Cyprus: 2,900
8% women, 16% children, 76% men
In Cyprus, critical protection concerns in reception conditions were addressed through advocacy, daily interventions and the provision of core relief items (48 relief housing units, 20 tents, 500 camp beds and 11,000 blankets) to 6,000 beneficiaries, with particular focus on prevention and response to gender-based violence as well as unaccompanied and separated children’s needs, notably through a guide for the implementation of the best interest principle for children. UNHCR helped address the asylum backlog through support to national asylum systems.
In Greece, UNHCR supported COVID-19 prevention and response with screening, isolation and quarantine medical units near reception centres on the Aegean islands and Evros, and for new arrivals. UNHCR also transferred over 2,100 immunocompromised individuals from overcrowded island centres to safer accommodation and strengthened water and sanitation capacity in order to improve hygiene conditions. Essential UNHCR interventions on child protection, gender-based violence and protection of persons with specific needs were implemented, with over 2,000 best interest assessments conducted on unaccompanied and separated children and over 370 adolescents enrolled in dedicated support programmes. In addition, some 650 gender-based violence survivors received both psychosocial and legal support. In the eastern Aegean islands, UNHCR promoted the creation of protection hubs, to facilitate access to protection services. Regular and thematic monitoring of reception conditions on the islands and on the mainland, as well as targeted interventions such as distribution of core relief items, addressed important gaps.
In Italy, UNHCR contributed to addressing obstacles to integration and limited access to reliable information, through support to a national system for identification and referral of people with specific needs and outreach activities in formal and informal settlements. Counselling and communication with communities were strengthened with the Numero Verde toll-free number and the JumaMap multilingual information portal that provided information on services and COVID-19. UNHCR promoted its integration initiatives, a one-stop shop for services and documentation and its “Welcome” job inclusion project with authorities; and began implementation of its community matching programme.
In Malta, UNHCR supported asylum authorities to ensure access to territory and asylum procedures, while monitoring reception conditions and alternatives to detention. Efforts were made to identify and respond to the specific needs of people of concern. UNHCR engaged with integration stakeholders, including in employment and education and ran workshops for women and men on gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, and sexual health. UNHCR also provided psychological and legal support on gender-based violence to 31 people of concern.
In Spain, in the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, efforts were enhanced to focus on identification of protection needs among arrivals, including children and persons with special needs, and to support authorities in devising improved mechanisms to guarantee access to the asylum procedure. UNHCR advocated for fast and fair quality asylum procedures, support to the resettlement programme, and the establishment of a community sponsorship programme. UNHCR sought to enhance refugees’ participation through volunteer, empowerment and training programmes.