Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Milan, June 20 2021 - Palazzo Marino turns blue for one night, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, proclaimed for 20 June by the UN.  

As already last year, 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 Scala, as part of the #WithRefugees - Together we can do anything awareness campaign, which aims to spread a message of solidarity and inclusion for the over 80 million people in the world forced to flee their homes due to conflicts, violence and persecution.  

An initiative, sponsored by the Municipality of Milan, which aims to raise public awareness of their condition, and also to involve the city's public administrations in reception and integration projects. In addition to Milan, the cities of Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Catania, Florence and Turin have already joined this year.  

The lighting, possible thanks to the support of A2A Spa, will take place this evening at sunset, and will continue until dawn tomorrow. 

“Big cities - intervenes the councilor for social and housing policies Gabriele Rabaiotti - have always played a leading role in migratory dynamics, being the places par excellence where people look for the opportunity to rebuild their lives, where they therefore think of being able to more easily find a home, a job, opportunities for themselves and their family, or even simply where they pass while waiting to leave for other destinations. Being able to respond to these requests undoubtedly represents one of the great challenges facing local administrations, especially those in richer countries like ours. Everyone must do their part, just as cooperation, voluntary organisations, free citizens do, who over the years have been able to build a network system which has attempted to provide answers to fundamental issues, such as the protection of minors, guarantee of fundamental rights, social inclusion and inclusion in the world of work".  

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 . On this occasion, monuments symbolizing Italian culture illuminated for refugees have become a consolidated and internationally known event.  

Milan, through the SAI network (Reception and Integration System - ex Sprar/Siproimi), which also makes use of the collaboration of various third sector bodies, hosted 2020 people during 504, 378 of whom had already previously been included in the centers reception and 126 arrived during the year. 

As for unaccompanied foreign minors, considering both the SAI services and other reception facilities, those welcomed at the end of 2020 were 610 in total (Albania, Egypt and Kosovo the main nationalities).  

Regarding the origins in the SAI Adulti project, 2020 recorded greater variability compared to the previous year, with growth above all in arrivals from Asia (which went from 18% in 2018 to 35% in 2020).  

46,9% of adults attended Italian language courses, 89 were reported to the Work Mediation Center (Celav) and 62 were the beneficiaries of job grants, mostly employed as cleaners, kitchen workers, or as warehouse workers, maintenance workers, mechanics and electricians. Despite the difficulties linked to the health emergency, 116 people were included in the world of work, 16 of which were contracted following job grants.