United Nations Refugee Agency

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has issued an appeal for urgent action to address the "severe deterioration of the living conditions of refugees and migrants on Samos."

With an official capacity of up to 850 people, the center on the eastern Aegean island hosts some 2,000, the UNHCR said in a statement, adding that heavy rainfall last week "led to a situation of emergency."

German news source, Der Spiegel, has an exclusive reportage of plans to transfer refugee hotspots from the islands of Lesbos and Kos to a large center in Athens that would fall under the jurisdiction of Frontex and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The plans are based on the fact that the Greek border islands cannot handle the influx.

The number of displaced people fleeing from war, conflict or persecution and looking for a better future in other countries has exceeded 59 million, the highest number since World War II, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The United Nations Refugee Agency warned that the international community was faced with increasing difficulties to respond to the growing number of people making dangerous sea journeys in search of asylum or migration.

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