On 29 February 2016, 97 refugees landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport from Lebanon. They were mainly Syrian citizens who were fleeing the ongoing civil war and who would not have been able to reach Europe unless they undertook a perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, like many of their compatriots.

The 10-year anniversary was celebrated by the Sant'Egidio Catholic lay peacemaking community on its website.

The organization said in a statement that the first flight was "the beginning of a happy story, that of humanitarian corridors organized by civil society in agreement with the Italian State, the first country in Europe to make them possible", followed by "France, Belgium and Andorra".

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Protocols with the Foreign, Interior Ministries in December 2015

The Community of Sant'Egidio, the Valdensian Table and the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy in December 2015 signed a protocol with the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior providing for the release of humanitarian visas for refugees who were considered "vulnerable" and who were fleeing war, according to the statement.

Under the agreement, the organizations that promoted the initiative were in charge of finding housing for the refugees while promoting their integration by helping them learn Italian and find a job, as well as by enrolling their children in school.

The statement explained how the program promoted the autonomy and integration of refugees within Italian society "a short time after their regular arrival in a safe way for them -- with a normal airline flight -- and for others, the Italians hosting them, and after they obtained refugee status".

They were housed in lodgings offered by associations and parish churches as well as regular citizens as part of a "wide-ranging mobilization of civil society, and in some cases, also thanks to the commitment of small Italian villages at risk of depopulation," the statement explained.

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Over 7,000 people welcomed in Italy and more than 1,000 in Europe

The model in 2019 won the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, honoring those who work to protect refugees, displaced, and stateless people and was replicated by Sant'Egidio together with other associations and churches in Italy, as well as in other European countries.

Overall, Italy has welcomed 7,462 people and Europe 1,130 as part of the program.

The refugees who have been welcomed over the years include, in addition to Syrians, citizens of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen.

More recently, Palestinians have flown to Italy from Gaza.

"At a historic time during which we are witnessing an increase in wars and tensions between States, a concerning reduction of the right to asylum and a dramatic rise of deaths at sea, humanitarian corridors continue to welcome and integrate people and families fleeing various countries at war", said the President of the Community of Sant'Egidio Marco Impagliazzo.

"In 10 years, this project entirely based on civil society, with the cooperation of governments, is a sign of hope not only for the thousands of people saved from the hands of traffickers, but also an antidote against indifference and the sense of powerlessness in the face of war, because it has involved many citizens in hosting those who are most vulnerable -- a successful story that encourages us to continue to pursue this path," he added.

"Humanitarian corridors have been, for the past 10 years, not only a safe and legal way to help people in a situation of vulnerability, but also to respect the idea of Europe and Italy", noted Daniele Garrone, the President of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy. He expressed the hope that "humanitarian corridors will become a structural policy of the Union."

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