The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) welcomed the decision of the Italian Ministry of the Interior to extend the humanitarian corridor from Libya to Italy, providing better opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers facing increasing risks.
The Italian government has expressed its commitment to evacuate 1,500 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya in the next three years by signing a memorandum of understanding in this regard, the UNHCR said, confirming that it will work in cooperation with relevant partners to identify and select these people, while giving priority to those who have the most urgent needs.
UNHCR urged other countries to follow Italy's example by providing humanitarian corridors to relieve pressure on host countries, and to contribute to providing a compassionate response to the urgent needs of refugees in Libya and elsewhere.
This commitment comes after the successful evacuation of 1,300 people from Libya to Italy since 2017 through evacuation flights and resettlement programmes, according to UNHCR.
