METAdrasi – Action for Migration and Development is a Greek non-governmental organization founded in December 2009. Its mission is to uphold and protect the fundamental human rights of displaced and persecuted individuals. The organization focuses on addressing critical gaps in the reception and integration of refugees and migrants in Greece, particularly in areas not covered by public authorities or other NGOs. METAdrasi carries out innovative interventions, including interpretation and intercultural mediation, protection services for unaccompanied minors, legal assistance for international protection seekers, and educational programs, such as Greek language lessons and support for children’s education.
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Counterpoints Arts is a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and cultural change. Their mission is to support and produce the arts by and about migrants and refugees, seeking to ensure that their contributions are recognized and welcomed within British arts, history and culture. Central to their mission is their belief that arts can inspire social change and enhance inclusion & cultural integration of refugees & migrants. They work across all art forms and collaborate with a range of people and partners, including artists, arts/cultural and educational organizations and civil society activists and have been the organisation inspired and created Refugee Week globally.
We are Community is guided by a robust mission firmly rooted in a sincere commitment to communities and the intricate fabric of diversity seamlessly woven into the arts. At the core of We are Community are the cherished values of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The team comprises a harmonious blend of empathetic listeners, adept communicators, meticulous researchers, skilled facilitators, and creative troubleshooters. The power of storytelling serves as our tool to empower communities and artists alike, enabling them to eloquently share their unique narratives. Fueled by a global network of partners spanning Europe, the UK, and beyond, they integrate their collective wisdom into our project conception and execution.
Refugee Week is coordinated by Athens Comics Library. Athens Comics Library is a place of inspiration and learning around a collection that reaches 2,500 comic books. It hosts Baytna Hub for early childhood development support for refugee and migrant children and their carers. Over the past year, the Athens Comics Library has carried out a series of community empowerment and empowerment projects, with an emphasis on refugee and immigrant families participating in our activities.
The Network for Children’s Rights acquired non-profit organisation status in 2004, but actually began as an informal action group four years earlier with the aim of raising awareness of problems relating to the righs of children and interceding in order to solve them. It encourages initiatives and actions to ensure that the UN International Convention on the Rights of the Child is implemented in Greece, to guarantee respect for diversity and to put an end to discrimination. Its members are teachers, parents, university lecturers, authors, artists and children who work on a voluntary basis both within and outside the school community. They carry out surveys, campaigns and programmes.
The Greek Forum of Refugees is a non-profit association consisting of refugee and migrant communities, individuals and professionals working all together to support and empower asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and stateless persons. The association was founded in Athens in 2013, in order to function as a reference organization, both for the refugee communities and for the refugees who wish to address collectively and in an organized manner their requests to the State, but also to the host society.
The Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) is a Non- Governmental Organization, which has been active since 1989 in the field of asylum and human rights in Greece. It was founded by Hari Brissimi* and 20 more people aiming to defend the rights of refugees in Greece. GCR is an association recognized as a special charity, is included in the Registers of competent Ministries, has Consultative Status in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN since 2001 and is an operative partner of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In addition to the above, GCR is a member of the Executive Committee of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) since 1991, a member of the Separated Children in Europe Program (SCEP) while it also participates in the National Committee for Human Rights (EEDA) since 1999. On a daily basis, GCR welcomes and offers free legal and social advice and services to refugees and people coming from third countries who are entitled to international protection in our country, while special emphasis is put on vulnerable cases, such as unaccompanied minors, victims of trafficking etc. The ultimate goal is their protection and their smooth integration in our country. GCR’s services are offered in Athens, Thessaloniki and in the region of Evros but also in Lesvos, Kos and Herakleion – Crete. The main sources of GCR stem from European and co-financed Programs, by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, by grant making trusts as well as companies and individuals.
Greece is a founding member of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Athens Mission operates on the basis of an Agreement of 17 April 1952, between the Greek Government and IOM. Across the country IOM provides a comprehensive response to the humanitarian needs of migrants, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities through humanitarian direct assistance, recreational activities, and a variety of other efforts. Learn more about IOM in Greece. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
Melissa Network is an organization for migrant and refugee women in Greece. Founded in 2014 with grassroots-based participation, it counts members from over 45 countries. It provides a platform for networking, capacity building and advocacy and runs an innovative integration program supporting refugee women and children.
SolidarityNow (SN) is a Greek non-profit, humanitarian organization, founded in 2013 to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of our society, without discrimination. SN implements projects across thematic areas, aiming to bring together different groups of people to address common challenges.
Choose Love is pioneering a new movement in humanitarian aid: fast, flexible, transparent and accountable. They are a lean, passionate team driving a fast-paced global movement across more than 30 countries and have raised millions to support refugees and created a movement of people putting love into action around the world. Choose Love does whatever it takes to provide refugees and displaced people with everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice. They elevate the voices and visibility of refugees and galvanise public support for agile community organisations providing vital support to refugees along migration routes globally. Choose Love strives to ensure that they do no harm to those whose lives they touch. They always want their impact to be positive and will always work towards making it this way.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
The Athens Coordination Center for Migrant & Refugee issues (ACCMR) was established in 2017 on the initiative of the City of Athens. ACCMR is the first municipality – led coordination hub in Greece, facilitating cooperation between the City of Athens and civil society, international organizations and central government and enabling effective integration policies.
The Greek Forum of Migrants (GFM), established in September 2002, is a union of over 40 migrant communities and organizations in Greece. Its mission is to promote the integration of migrants by strengthening their individual and collective responsibility and participation, in collaboration with institutions, NGOs, and broader society at both national and European levels. GFM envisions a society where migrants enjoy equal rights and fair treatment, fostering mutual respect and cooperation with Greek citizens, and embracing diversity as a source of growth and progress for all.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been active in Greece since 2015, responding to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the country during the height of the European refugee crisis. IRC Greece supports vulnerable individuals and families—particularly women, children, and unaccompanied minors—by providing mental health and psychosocial support, protection services, integration programs, and assistance with housing, employment, and legal information. The IRC works closely with local communities and organizations to promote social inclusion and help refugees rebuild their lives with dignity and resilience.
