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Post date: Mar 04, 2017 11:22:47 AM
By Jacqueline Mullen
The refugee policy group began the week by meeting with Panos Navrozidis and several staff members of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to learn about the organization’s involvement in the refugee situation and what policies they would like to see implemented. Panos, the Country Director for IRC Greece, leads a 300-person team spread throughout the country.
A common theme we’ve heard in many of our meetings, including this one with the IRC, is that the refugee response strategy in Greece is in the middle of a transition period. Whereas previously the focus was on rapid emergency response, organizations are now planning a long-term, sustainable strategy, which will include moving refugees from camps to permanent urban housing, beginning integration efforts (economically and socially), and shifting from direct implementation to local capacity-building partnerships.
Panos also spoke against the EU-Turkey Agreement passed last March, a deal that our EU-Greece Relations group is studying closely. Panos said the deal forces many asylum seekers to wait months for a decision on their application, only to be notified that they have been denied and will be forced to either return to Turkey or be deported to their country of origin. The IRC advocates for an approach that would review each applicant’s case individually and transparently and then respond in a timely manner. The IRC itself provides aid tailored to each individual, whether they are staying for a few months or will be integrated permanently into Greek society. Panos hopes the EU will also provide what he called an “ethical, dignified approach” in this next stage of welcoming and integrating refugees.
We'd like to thank Panos & the IRC for hosting us and for sharing with us a wealth of information about their experiences. It was a lively discussion and the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome and to answer all of our numerous questions.
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