On April 7, an agreement was signed by the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Italian interior minister to bring 700 Afghan nationals into the country via humanitarian corridors.

Commenting immediately after the signing, Sant'Egidio chief Marco Impagliazzo stressed the importance of the agreement, noting that, "in this historic moment, in which we are seeing a concerning growth of wars and tensions between states, such an agreement underscores the importance of humanitarian corridors as a model of reception and integration."

"For these Afghans," he added, "who had to leave their country amid a great deal of suffering after the large-scale escape from Kabul in August 2021 and who, forgotten by the international community, are waiting to be resettled, it is finally a sign of hope."

The agreement was signed between the interior and foreign ministries and several associations and organizations including CEI (The Italian Bishops Conference from the Catholic Church), Sant'Egidio, FCEI (Federation of Protestant Churches), Tavola Valdese (the organization representing the Waldensian and Methodist churches in Italy), ARCI (a social and cultural NGO that among other things works with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers across Italy, as well as many other marginalized groups), IOM (UN Migration Agency), and UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency).

The 700 Afghan nationals will arrive in Italy via humanitarian corridors.

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338 Afghans already granted reception

The agreement is an "addendum" to one signed in November 2021 that granted entrance to the country for 812 Afghan nationals (refugees in Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey), who have been integrated by associations, underscored a press release published on the Community of Sant'Egidio website.

The new agreement concerns 300 refugees for whom the Community of Sant'Egidio will take responsibility. 200 will be looked after by the CEI, 100 by the FCEI, and 100 by the organization ARCI, making up a total of 700 people.

While waiting for this latest agreement, the Italian state granted reception to 338 people and another 362 will arrive between April 7 and July, according to the press release.

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8,200 refugees arrived via humanitarian corridors

In total, humanitarian corridors -- promoted by Sant'Egidio and other associations -- enabled a safe arrival in Europe of 8,200 refugees.

This project, which was entirely self-financed, is being implemented thanks to a broad network and supported by donations from many Italians.

The press release states that the project is a successful model bringing together solidarity and security, and offering refugees and those seeking protection a safe way to arrive and a new start in Italy.