During a visit to Italy by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese expressed a willingness to step up shared initiatives for refugee reception and humanitarian corridors.
French civil society groups have formalized an agreement with the French government to renew the "Humanitarian Corridors" protocol. The deal benefits vulnerable Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Eight Syrian refugees arrived in Rome from Lebanon on Monday through the humanitarian corridors organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Protestant Churches and the Italian government.
The Jesuit Refugee Service in Italy, Centro Astalli, reiterated its appeal for the immediate evacuation of migrants from Libya, as well as the Greek Islands and the Balkans, after 43 migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya on January 19.
Several humanitarian organizations have sent an appeal to Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese. They want her to immediately allow church charities to carry out five flights to evacuate vulnerable migrants from Libya to Italy.
The civil society-driven Humanitarian Corridors initiative has enabled 54 Syrian refugees to travel to Rome on Friday. This trip marks the end of the second mission of the initiative, which is implemented by different Italian churches.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on November 20 called for the opening of "humanitarian corridors" in Ethiopia where fighting since November 4 has led thousands of people to flee to Sudan.
The Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI) have welcomed recent changes to Italy's migrant and security decrees but have demanded a reform of citizenship rights.
The Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio has announced it would help airlift a contingent of 300 migrants from Lesbos in collaboration with the Italian government.
Twenty refugees from Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in Italy on September 11 thanks to the project University Corridors for Refugees. They will be able to continue their studies at 10 Italian universities through a scholarship.
150 volunteers from around Europe have signed up to a summer holiday with a difference. Via the Catholic charity Sant'Egidio, volunteers are working with migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos, providing entertainment for children and working in a restaurant run by the charity. Through the work, the charity identifies families eligible for relocation via humanitarian corridor.
Ten Afghans arrived in Rome from the Greek island of Lesbos last week. They are the first refugees to arrive in Italy via a humanitarian corridor after the COVID-19 lockdown.