International Refugee Day
Unlike the tense situations in 2015 and 2016 at border crossings and in the transit centers, this year’s International Refugee Day, 20th of June, is marked in a much more relaxed atmosphere with regard to refugees in Macedonia, which is deeply immersed in the internal and political crisis.
Over the past year, the number of refugees and displaced persons in the world who have escaped from conflicts and repression has reached a record number of 68.5 million people. According to the statistics, 3.1 million people are potential asylum seekers, 40 million are internally displaced persons and 25.4 million are refugees.
In recent years, the refugees were and are still part of the Macedonian everyday life where the Macedonian Red Cross played the most important role. Thousands of refugees passed on a daily basis at the border crossing points in Gevgelija and Tabanovce, a term defining those who are fleeing from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the economic migrants from the Near East and Africa.
The Macedonian Red Cross in partnership with the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as in cooperation with domestic supporters and companies, is actively involved in supporting refugees who transit through our country or reside as illegal migrants.
The Macedonian Red Cross continues to assist 24 hours on field with the Mobile Teams at the Reception points for assistance of migrants/refugees in Tabanovce (Kumanovo) and Vinojug (Gevgelija) and the Mobile Team in Lojane. The Mobile Teams are composed of employees, doctors and paramedics, members and volunteers of the Red Cross, who are trained to work in the Red Cross Tracing Service.
