Ten years have passed since Open Arms set sail for the first time in the Mediterranean. It was September 2015, along the coasts of Lesbos, Greece, when four lifeguards decided they could no longer remain indifferent as they perceived a human tragedy unfolding before their eyes.

A press release by the Spanish NGO recounts story of how the NGO came into being, underscoring how "that simple and radical act, triggered by urgency and determination, has become in a few years a collective movement that saved over 80,000 lives and continues to defend the dignity of people with an unwavering dedication and belief in human rights."

It is this commitment that Open Arms wants to celebrate with "a huge event" on September 29, at Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, "not as a celebration, but as a collective act of memory, dedication and claim", states the press release.

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Open Arms' work in data

"From the first rescue in Lesbos -- it states -- Open Arms has been on a long journey," states the NGO in a press release. "In the Central Mediterranean, on ships such as the Astral, Golfo Azzurro, Open Arms and Open Arms Uno, 122 rescue missions have been completed, often in difficult and hostile situations."

In the early years, states the NGO, there appeared to be "cooperation with the Italian Coast Guard and Frontex [the European Border Force Agency] [which] seemed to open the path to a joint cooperation, [but] soon the reality changed: the court cases, hostages and sanctions put the organization to the test," underscores the NGO recalling the 2019 case, when the ship Open Arms remained blocked for 19 days off Lampedusa with 163 persons on board, until the Italian judicial system intervened.

'Behind each law and each decision there are human lives'

"The image of the little Alan became a symbol because that fragile body summed up the tragedy of thousands of broken lives,", recalled NGO Founder Oscar Camps. Camps is referring to the three-year-old Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, who drowned in September 2015 on his way to Europe.

The picture of his little lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach moved the world.

"Until then, the Mediterranean had swallowed anonymous bodies that were unable to break the wall of indifference. That picture instead showed a recognizable child as everyone's son: it transformed the tragedy that appeared far away into a personal wound for millions of people. Today, we celebrate 10 years of our NGO, but in particular we wish to remember that behind each law and each decision there are human lives, and that saving them should never be called into question," highlighted Camps.

"We defend the right to life and we ask Europe to respect this right for those fleeing from peril," he added.

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Mission blocks

Sometimes, those at the NGO feel their mission is being blocked by those making the laws, explains Valentina Brinis, Advocacy Officer for Open Arms, recalling that "starting from December 2023, the NGOs that operated in the Mediterranean were hit by administrative detention, for a total of over 700 days of forced inactivity, to which an additional 800 days are to be added in terms of navigation time toward assigned ports at disproportionate distance."

"This means at least 330,000 kilometers unnecessarily crossed, with a devastating impact on our capacity to rescue those in danger at sea. These policies, added to the lack of a coordinated response from Europe, have only one result: it blocks those who save lives and let death at sea become the norm."

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Mission extends beyond the Mediterranean

Over the years, Open Arms has also sought to extend help to other communities who might not be literally at sea.

In Ukraine, following the beginning of the war, the NGO recalls it organized aerial evacuations, through a humanitarian corridor of thousands of vulnerable people, sending hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid and even reaching Odessa through the Danube in the middle of the conflict.

Following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, it was one of the few organizations to enter the Syrian territory to deliver medical help.

In Gaza, in 2024, it led, in cooperation with the World Central Kitchen, the first mission of the maritime corridor from Cyprus, bringing 200 tons of food due to an improvised dock built by the civil population.

These past ten years have been underscored also by humanitarian flights in India, Mozambique, Mayotte, on the island of Reunion, and cooperation missions in Bangladesh, always hoping to support those who were most vulnerable, recalls the press release.

Commemorative party

On September 29, the party in Barcelona has been planned to center around a commemorative dinner and an artistic performance by de La Fura dels Baus.

The evening will be hosted by the journalist Marc Girò, together with artists, sports personalities, researchers, and cultural figures who over the years have supported the organization.

"Ten years ago, it all started with a simple, radical, and necessary gesture: not to look the other way. Since then, thousands of persons, organizations, and personalities from around the world, and coming from the fields of culture and civil society [have] joined our mission. This anniversary is for all of them," underlined Camps.

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