Friday March 3: UNHCR

Post date: Mar 09, 2017 7:20:21 PM

By Anthony Cozart

Friday afternoon, our entire group of 22 joined together for a meeting with Petros Mastakas from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Greece. While we had been studying the regulations and programs that define the refugee crisis in Europe (for example, the Dublin Regulation), speaking with Mr. Mastakas helped to frame the bigger picture.

In contrast to our visits to the Melissa Network and Greece’s largest refugee camp this morning, our discussion at UNHCR focused on more high-level policy and diplomacy. We spoke with Mr. Mastakas about the EU-Turkey Statement, Turkey’s commitment to refugees, what the UNHCR is doing alongside the Greek state and NGOs, and how the situation is transitioning from a crisis to a more stabilized period focused on integration.

Mr. Mastakas pointed out that the Statement (or “deal”) is not an agreement with legal authority, but rather a political declaration that both parties would honor previously established agreements. While this could make the deal less stable, it has endured, in part because Turkey has delivered on aspects of their commitment. We heard earlier in the week that Turkey and the Hellenic Navy have stepped up naval operations, including “deterrence” efforts on the Turkish side. Turkey has also largely maintained their high commitment to Syrian refugees.

We also spoke about ways in which it appears the deal has been less effective--in particular, the limited but improving state and EU capacity to process refugees. Thousands of refugees live in well-organized camps like at Skaramagas, yet many must wait for months as they await processing of their asylum application.

The meeting with Mr. Mastakas helped fill in gaps in our understanding of the migrant and refugee crisis, not only within Greece, but across the EU. And, having our entire group together was a great way to close out our excellent week of meetings.