High-level representatives of the UN family in the country undertook a field visit to Kumanovo municipality and the Tabanovce Refugee Transit Center on Thursday, together with the Ambassador of Japan, H.E. Makoto Taketoshi, who is on a three-day visit to the country.
Although the large-scale transit of refugees and migrants through the country has ceased, the closure of borders across the Western Balkans has left more than 1,100 Afghans, Iraqis and Syrians stranded in the country. The Ambassador met and spoke with some of them at the Transit Center and was also briefed about the beneficial impact of the assistance provided by the Government of Japan.
Since the refugee crisis began, the Government of Japan has provided a total of more than USD 3.6 million in funding to the UN agencies in the country to help meet the humanitarian needs of refugees and migrants and ease the burden on the host municipalities most affected by the crisis. The Ambassador’s visit is dedicated both to assessing the results achieved in 2015 and future work in 2016.
“Japan fully understands the humanitarian and development challenges posed by the ongoing refugee and migrant crisis,” said Ambassador Taketoshi. “Helping this region and people in need responding to emergencies is a longstanding priority for us. This is why we are pleased to be able to support the United Nations system in addressing both emergency humanitarian needs and longer-term assistance to host communities.”
Japan recently contributed 420,000 USD to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to support the agency’s emergency response to the refugee crisis. UNHCR Representative, Mohammad Arif, expressed his gratitude to the people and government of Japan for their generous support. Thе funds, he said, have been used to prepare the Tabanovce and Vinojug transit centers for winter weather conditions, to address some of the urgent sanitation needs of the refugees, to procure wooden benches and also to support the registration process.
“Women and children make up 61% of the total number of refugees and migrants arriving in the country in 2016,” he explained. “Now that people have been staying in Tabanovce and Vinojug for more than one month, UNHCR has adjusted its protection activities and assistance to persons of concern in line with changes in the field. Many of these people have specific needs. Along with providing personalized assistance, there is a need to find a comprehensive solution for their situation and to eliminate all of the protection risks they are facing, including risks to their health and security.”
The Government of Japan donated 260,361 USD to the International Organization of Migration (IOM) at the beginning of October 2015 to support national efforts to meet urgent needs in the crisis.
These funds were used to enhance the capacities of the border police in humanitarian border management and to purchase two vehicles for the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to help transport vulnerable migrants, particularly women and children. The provision of short-term accommodation for migrants was also funded, by equipping reception centers with sleeping containers, beds and blankets, ready to accommodate 114 people at once.
“We are experiencing a time of unprecedented crisis in human mobility. From 19 June 2015 to 22 March 2016, a total of 477,856 refugees and migrants were registered in Gevgelija and Kumanovo. IOM and its partners had to step up their response to an increasingly complex and prolonged crisis. Providing critical support to large numbers of affected people has put the humanitarian response system under exceptional stress,” said Sonja Bozinovska Petrusevska, IOM Head of Office.
The Government of Japan also generously donated USD 750,000 to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in late February 2016 to support UNICEF’s immediate response to the migrant and refugee crisis, especially for children and women. These funds will help UNICEF scale up and adjust activities in child protection, water and sanitation, infant and young children’s feeding and provision of nonfood items. Strengthening the country’s social protection system to respond to the immediate needs of refugee and migrant children will be an important component of the activities.
“Children have suffered the most in a crisis they did not create,” said Bertrand Desmoulins, UNICEF Representative. “They have suffered from the effects of war and persecution, have undertaken a risky journey in extreme temperatures, and now with the new border policies, face an uncertain future. They make up over 40% of people on the move and more must be done to support and protect them.”
With an eye to the supporting the host communities that were directly affected by the transit of nearly one million refugees and migrants over the past 12 months, the Government of Japan also contributed USD 2.225 million to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). These funds will be used to address the priority needs of waste management and water supply in the municipalities of Gevgelija and Kumanovo, where the transit of so many people put severe pressure on public services.
“The two main host communities showed great generosity and flexibility in welcoming a vast influx of people and in extending public services to the two reception centers,” said Louisa Vinton, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative. “Thanks to the Government of Japan, we will now be able to solve some long-standing development challenges that the refugee crisis brought to light. These investments will improve living conditions for more than 200,000 local residents.”