Learning
from Lesbos
13
Finding 1:
The IRC’s early
engagement with the Municipality
of Lesbos led to mutual benefits
in the immediate term, and was
approached with a view to ensuring
positive long-term impact as well.
Early in its response, the IRC explicitly acknowledged
the authority of the Lesbos Municipality and sought
to work within its parameters. Both as a principle,
in recognition of the mandate of the local authority,
and as a means to facilitating future cooperation,
this step was considered critically important.
As a result of this acknowledgement the municipality,
in turn, came to regard the IRC as an appropriate partner
for jointly conducted programming, and as an actor
that had an awareness of the needs of both refugees/
migrants and of the broader population of the island.
One example of this joint programming is the provision
of sanitation services to the Kara Tepe site at the start
of the IRC’s activity on Lesbos. Because the Kara Tepe
site had been vacant prior to the crisis, certain public
services (such as solid waste management) provided
by semi-private contractors elsewhere on Lesbos were
not available there. The municipality was not prepared to
devote resources to having the existing contractors service
the site. In order to preserve as much as possible the
existing service-provision structures on Lesbos, the IRC
sought the municipality’s approval to contract the existing
providers to service Kara Tepe. Taking this approach
avoided the creation of a parallel service-provision system,
with the possibility of differing standards of service.
By having the IRC serve as the contractor, the municipality
and the service providers also avoided legal constraints to
the provision of such services to unregistered migrants.
Legal and procedural protocols required by the municipality
and the Greek government at the national level were
not at all geared to the urgency of a humanitarian
response, and caused serious delays in programming.
Although a process of adaptation was taking place,
and the situation is now significantly improved, in one
instance, it took two months of negotiations to finalise an
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with government to
pave a roadway leading to the IRC’s transit site in Molyvos.
It is important to recognise that the strength of the
IRC’s relationship with local authorities on Lesbos
was a key factor enabling the successful navigation
of these obstacles so that programme delays did
not blow out to become programme failures.
The IRC’s early engagement with the Lesbos Municipality
facilitated a strong relationship built on mutual trust and
transparency. The Lesbos Municipality has indicated
that it views the IRC as an exceptional example of an
international NGO willing to respect local jurisdiction, and
as a result, the IRC has been able to overcome legal and
procedural constraints and to ensure that programming
fits well within existing systems and structures.
Key Findings
opposite: A refugee family walks through the port of Mytilene.
Tyler Jump/IRC
left: Water points at Kara Tepe camp are often filled with rubbish and
surrounded by dirty pooling water. These taps are used for everything
– from collecting drinking water to washing clothes and showering.
Tyler Jump/IRC
Learning from Lesbos
14
Key Findings
(continued)
Finding 2:
Working with the existing
urban systems of Lesbos – both public
and private – to deliver humanitarian
programming proved particularly
effective. Where existing systems were
inadequate or appeared to be operating
in ways that were problematic, the
IRC sought to engage in ways that
addressed gaps and ameliorated or
mitigated problematic practices.
Throughout its work on Lesbos, the IRC has sought to
work with the island’s existing urban service delivery
systems, either directly or indirectly. An example
of indirect service provision using existing systems
has been the IRC’s partnership with independent
businesses on the island, particularly money
transfer companies such as Western Union.
Access to currency exchange and transfer services has
been critically important to refugees and migrants arriving
on Lesbos, as they require access to cash in order to
continue their journey westward through mainland Europe.
Those who carried cash with them to Greece faced the
constant threat of robbery, potentially with serious violence.
People who managed to arrive with their money untouched
faced difficulty finding somewhere to legally exchange
currencies. Those who relied on accessing funds held
overseas, their own or those of relatives, needed a way
to safely transfer money.
Legally operating currency exchange services on Lesbos
only existed in towns that were largely inaccessible to
refugees and migrants, however. This was particularly the
case in the south of the island, where reaching currency
exchange services meant a journey of at least an hour
on foot from the nearest site. There was only site at
which transfer services were available, but it was small,
and did not post the current fees or exchange rates.
As a result of this lack of safe, legally accessible
services, many of the new arrivals were in a situation
of significant financial vulnerability, and at severe risk
of exploitation or outright robbery. IRC staff reported
that, at the height of the crisis, when sites were
overflowing and people were spilling out onto the streets
of Mytilene, robbery and exploitation in the context of
informal money exchanges were, in fact, common.
Recognising this fact, and recognising also that
private-sector money transfer services already existed
on the island, the IRC engaged in partnerships with these
providers, allowing them to establish “pop-up” money
transfer stations at sites like Kara Tepe. The locations of
money exchange and transfer services were also mapped,
and this information transmitted to refugees and migrants.
Additionally, the IRC established a line of communication
with these providers, informing them whenever a new bus
had arrived at the site (particularly when this happened
outside regular business hours). Importantly, the commercial
operators agreed to ongoing monitoring and support
(for example, translation) by the IRC, which provided an
important guarantee that refugees and migrants using
the services would receive respectful treatment.
As a result of the IRC’s intervention, newly arriving refugees
and other migrants were able to transfer or exchange
money in a safe, timely manner. At the same time, local
service providers benefited from increased business and
a safer, more controlled environment in which to operate.
left: Businesses run by local residents were vital in providing essential
services to the Kara Tepe site and elsewhere.
Samer Saliba/IRC
above: Newly arrived refugees walk along the coast of Molyvos.
Kulsoom Rizvi/IRC