Over the past months, an ever-increasing number of people, the majority of whom are fleeing war, violence and persecution, have been risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea and take other dangerous routes in search of safety in Europe. European States bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Western Balkans and other European countries have been struggling to deal with this influx of refugees and migrants.
UNHCR’s main objective is to strengthen the response capacity of the countries in the region to receive, register and protect people seeking international protection, mainly in Greece where the numbers of arrivals are high, but also in other countries in the region as required.