Newsroom
The Cyprus Red Cross Society has called for long-term financial planning and stronger cooperation between state authorities and civil society organisations to maintain humanitarian services linked to migration.
Speaking at the EMN Cyprus High-level Presidency Conference in Nicosia, the organisation’s secretary-general, Marios Argyrou said Cyprus could no longer depend on temporary funding arrangements and heavily burdened volunteer networks to meet growing demands.
The conference, titled “Taking Stock of the Pact on Migration and Asylum: Turning Strategy into Reality”, was organised under the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union and brought together policymakers and experts from across Europe.
Argyrou participated in a discussion panel focused on multilateral cooperation and the support available to EU member states dealing with migration pressures. During his intervention, he described the challenges faced by frontline humanitarian organisations operating in Cyprus, one of the EU countries receiving the highest number of asylum seekers per capita.
He said sustainable humanitarian assistance required stable multi-year funding mechanisms, formal cooperation frameworks between public authorities and non-governmental organisations, and recognition of the operational costs involved in delivering frontline services.
Argyrou warned that when humanitarian needs exceed available resources, the consequences extend beyond logistics and staffing, affecting the protection of vulnerable people.
The Cyprus Red Cross Society said it would continue supporting migrants and vulnerable groups through its humanitarian work, drawing on more than seven decades of activity on the island.
