Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, June 19 2020 - Palazzo Marino it is tinged with blue. On the occasion of World Refugee Day, proclaimed for June 20th by the UN exactly twenty years ago, as a sign of adhesion and participation the municipal administration welcomes the request of the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and for one night illuminates the facade of its institutional headquarters, Palazzo Marino in Piazza della Scala, as part of the #WithRefugees awareness campaign which aims to spread a message of solidarity and inclusion. The lighting, possible thanks to the support of A2A Spa, will take place tomorrow evening at sunset, Saturday 20th, and will continue until dawn on Sunday. 

“Very differentiated responses have been given to the migration dynamics in recent decades - declares the councilor for social and housing policies Gabriele Rabaiotti - but cities have always played a leading role: through local administrations, cooperation, voluntary organizations , free citizens have built a network system that has reacted and tried to provide answers to the most important issues, such as the protection of minors, the guarantee of fundamental rights, social inclusion and inclusion in the world of work. That of welcoming and giving space to those seeking opportunities from the new south of the world is the European challenge of the cities of tomorrow, a challenge that calls all of us to do our part".  

Milan is one of the Italian cities that have joined this year's #WithRefugees campaign. World Refugee Day was proclaimed in 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly and is celebrated annually in Italy by the High Commissioner, in collaboration with local authorities and municipalities on the front line in the reception and integration of refugees and asylum seekers . The objective is to raise public awareness of the plight of almost 80 million refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons in the world. On this occasion, monuments symbolizing Italian culture illuminated for refugees have become a consolidated and internationally known event. 

Milan, through the Siproimi network (Protection system for holders of international protection and for unaccompanied foreign minors), which also makes use of collaboration with various third sector bodies, hosted 2019 people during 738, 359 of whom were already in previously placed in reception centers and 379 arrived during the year. As for unaccompanied foreign minors, considering both the Siproimi services and other reception facilities, those welcomed at the end of 2019 were 580 in total. Regarding the origins, 2019 recorded greater variability compared to the previous year, with a growth especially in arrivals from Asia (which went from 18% in 2018 to 34%). 

Over half of the adults attended Italian language courses, 77 were reported to the Work Mediation Center (Celav) and 125 were the beneficiaries of job grants, mostly employed as cleaners, kitchen workers, or warehouse workers. maintenance workers, mechanics and electricians. Between 2003 and 2019, almost 46% of reception center guests started working. 

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