Tomorrow, June 16, 2016, 81 more mostly Syrian refugees will arrive to Fiumicino Airport from Beirut thanks to the ‘humanitarian corridors’ project. They add themselves to the 200 already arrived in Italy since last February. At this point, the project is no longer an experiment, but a concrete reality that allows a person who is escaping war and is in ‘vulnerable conditions,’ (victims of persecution, families with children, single women, elderly people, the sick, and those with disabilities’) to arrive to Italy, in total safety and legality, not having to risk their lives in the Mediterranean.
The project – made possible through an agreement with the Italian government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior), the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI), and Waldensian Churches– projects the arrival of 1000 people in two years, not only from Lebanon, but also from Morocco and Ethiopia. It requires a repeatable model of welcome and integration, so much so that its success and implementation are now being studied in other European countries.
Present will be:
Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Paolo Naso, Federation of the Evangelical Churches in Italy and Waldensian Church; Mario Giro, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Domenico Manzione, Undersecretary of the Interior, Daniela Rotondaro, Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to Italy.