Outlining the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Greece during the coronavirus pandemic

During the past decades there has seen a sharp increase in the number of displaced populations worldwide. Based on data provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR2), more than 100 million displaced people were recorded in 2022, a number expected to rise to 120 million by 2023. When a humanitarian/ refugee crisis occurs, the international community usually responds by establishing a humanitarian assistance mechanism. One such mechanism was the ESTIA program in Greece, which began to be implemented in 2015-2016 and aimed to assist in better managing the unfolding refugee crisis. However, accumulated international experience demonstrates that humanitarian assistance mechanisms may not be the optimal solution when these crises become protracted and extend over many years or even decades.