After the Balkan refugee route was closed and the borders of the countries located along it were shut down, 1,100 migrants from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have been left inside Macedonia, UNDP officials said Thursday.
High representatives of the UN agencies int he country have paid a visit to the Kumanovo municipality and the Tabanovce reception center, together with Japanese Ambassador to Macedonia, Makoto Taketoshi, who is paying a 3-day visit to the country.
Since the refugee crisis began, the Government of Japan has provided 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. It recently provided additional USD 420,000 for the needs of the UNHCR office in Macedonia.
UNHCR representative, Mohammad Arif, said the funds were used to prepare the Gevgelija and the Tabanovce reception centers for winter, as well as to solve certain sanitary issues.
"Women and children make up 61% of the total number of refugees and migrants arriving in the country in 2016. Having into consideration that people taying in Tabanovce and Vinojug for more than one month, the UNHCR has adjusted its protection and assistance activities in line with the changes on the ground," Arif said.
As of June last year, until March 22 this year, the total of 477,856 refugees and migrants have been registered in the two reception centers in the country.