The UNHCR expects to see over 200,000 migrants arrive in Italy by the end of the year. To alleviate the situation in the country, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR has commenced an action plan in Libya and Niger.
The UNHCR expects to see over 200,000 migrants arrive in Italy by the end of the year, UN spokesperson for southern Europe Carlotta Sami said on Thursday at a press conference in Rome. The event was held ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20 in the MAXXI museum.
Italy under pressure, arrivals have risen by 20% per year ''We are currently at 180,000 people who have arrived'' on Italian shores, Sami added. ''And if there isn't effective support from other European countries, Italy can expect a steep climb ahead of it.'' She added that Italy is already under pressure from the number of arrivals, which has risen by an average of 20% per year over the past three years.
Action plan in Libya and Niger
To alleviate the situation in the country, she continued, there should be intervention in the migrants' countries of origin. ''The UNHCR action plan has commenced and we are doing everything possible in Libya and Niger,'' she said. In Libya, she added, ''are are increasing our activities and we hope to go in with more international staff.'' Libyan detention centers 'must be opened and internal conditions should be improved,Carlotta Sami said. She stressed that there are about '300,000 Libyan IDPs living in very difficult conditions and 40,000 refugees "that we almost never hear about, including 20,000 Syrians''. There is thus the need to work in the the countries of origian and in southern Libya through assistance centers. Improving security was another factor, she said.