​Libya: 95 people find protection thanks to Italy

Ninety-five vulnerable people forced to flee their country left Libya this evening, headed for Rome's Fiumicino Airport. They include children, female victims of trafficking, survivors of violence and torture and people with serious health conditions, identified by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Libya, on the basis also of information from the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Federation of Evangelical Churches.

This is the third flight organised to implement a protocol signed in April 2021 by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the UNHCR, the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI) and the Tavola Valdese. The protocol, which is intended to bring together good practice in emergency evacuations and humanitarian corridors, involves 500 people in all.

The people being evacuated travel in a UNHCR charter flight. Once they arrive in Fiumicino they are welcomed by the Community of Sant'Egidio, the FCEI and the Tavola Valdese to begin the process of integration in Italy, following the humanitarian corridor model.

"The Farnesina is once again in the front line in implementing emergency evacuations of particularly vulnerable people from Libya. And once again, close collaboration between the institutions and civil society is playing a decisive role in the shared goal of freeing refugees arriving from Libyan detention centres", stated Luigi Vignali, Director General for Migration Policies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

"The commitment of the Viminale [Ministry of the Interior] to strengthen legal channels of entry to Italian territory for refugees and vulnerable people continues", underscored Francesca Ferrandino, Head of the Civil Liberties and Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior. "This latest arrival from Libya is the tangible result of the fruitful cooperation between the public and private sectors that for years has been a hallmark of Italy's action on legal channels of access.

Humanitarian corridors from Libya are a concrete response to the needs of particularly vulnerable refugees in a context of prolonged crisis that remains a focus of attention for the institutions".

"We are grateful to Italy for its commitment to taking forward this live-saving operation", said Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR representative for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino. It is an important sign of solidarity and humanity. In an increasingly uncertain and insecure world, where more than 100 million people have been forced to flee, we hope to be able to continue working together to expand these safe channels, including resettlement, to enable refugees to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity".

"We are happy to welcome these people. We hope that the humanitarian corridors from Libya and other places become a structural policy of the European Union, along with other complementary legal routes to receive those fleeing their countries. The solidarity shown to the population fleeing Ukraine should serve as a lesson. We truly hope that that tragedy will lead to a step change in European reception policies and in the populations of countries taking in migrants", declared Daniele Garrone, President of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy.

"We are glad to be welcoming these people, who have suffered so much in the detention camps in Libya, to Italy. After the abuse and violence they have experienced, they can at last see a different future opening up, a future of human rights and integration", observed Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant'Egidio. "Humanitarian corridors, a best practice based on the involvement of civil society and recognised at the international level, can help the European Union manage immigration with the necessary humanity. If they are placed on a structural footing and multiplied to reach the right scope, they can help avoid new tragedies".

Since 2017, the UNHCR has evacuated or resettled 6,145 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya, of whom 997 in Italy. The evacuations resumed in November 2021 after a one-year break caused by the Libyan authorities' ban on humanitarian flights. The UNHCR estimates that in 2023 more that two millionThe UNHCR people throughout the world will need resettlement. This equates to an increase of 36% with respect to the requirement in 2022, of 1.47 million.

Legal safe channels, including emergency evacuations, humanitarian corridors, resettlement and family re-unification, are a lifeline for refugees. They allow them to rebuild their future in dignity, without being forced to undertake dangerous journeys in the hands of traffickers. At the same time, they are a tangible sign of solidarity towards the countries hosting the world's largest refugee populations.

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