Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis received today, Tuesday, 6 June 2017, in Athens the UNICEF Regional Director and Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe, Afshan Khan. The President of the Greek National Committee for UNICEF, Sofia Tzitzikou, also participated in the meeting.
Presented to the Deputy Minister were the specialised actions and programmes UNICEF is developing in Greece for the provision of care, education and psychological support for child refugees, with emphasis on the key issue of protecting unaccompanied minors.
Mr. Amanatidis highlighted that Greece has signed and ratified the main international conventions on the Rights of the Child and participates actively in the relevant international fora. He also noted that our country participated in the international conference on Safe Schools and Protections of Education from Attacks, also signing the relevant Declaration and the Guidelines for Protection of Educational Institutions from Military Use during Armed Conflicts.
Moreover, Mr. Amanatidis expressed his appreciation for UNICEF's contribution to the Greek government's actions for confronting the refugee crisis, particularly as concerns its impact on the vulnerable group of child refugees. He made assurances of the Greek government's will to assist UNICEF in the multifaceted work it is doing in our country.
June 6, 2017