UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency, and Community of Sant'Egidio signed today a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at establishing a global cooperation framework for an effective response to the needs of refugees and to enhance humanitarian access and emergency response.
The agreement was signed by Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Professor Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, on the sidelines of the High-level Officials' Meeting in Geneva.
The memorandum of understanding is intended to establish a framework to strengthen operational collaboration in crisis areas, to prevent and meet emergencies, and to address situations of global and regional relevance. In addition, a close and regular collaboration will be maintained regarding Humanitarian Corridors, a community sponsorship programme to enable the safe and legal arrival of refugees in Europe.
In addition, a close and regular collaboration will be maintained regarding Humanitarian Corridors, a community sponsorship programme to enable the safe and legal arrival of refugees in Europe. The Humanitarian Corridors in 2019 were awarded the UNHCR Nansen Prize for the Europe section, in recognition of their outstanding achievements in protecting refugees, allowing them to rebuild their future in safety and dignity without having to risk their lives in perilous journeys.
“At a time of unprecedented displacement, this agreement with Community of Sant' Egidio is crucial and will enhance our long standing cooperation and reinforce our ability to promote safe and regular pathways to asylum, such as humanitarian corridors,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
"In many years of cooperation we have verified the complementarity between Sant'Egidio and UNHCR and actually discovered that working together makes us more effective. Humanitarian Corridors, a best practice driven by civil society that promotes the integration of refugees, can become a model for the whole European Union", remarked Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant'Egidio.
The Community of S. Egidio is a faith-based organisation founded in 1968 and present in 73 countries around the world. It has been involved for decades in geo-political crises conducting humanitarian activities; acting for the prevention of human crises and wars by promoting talks and negotiations to solve conflicts through mediation; promoting inter-religious dialogue and pursuing respect for religious freedom and the rights of minorities with special consideration for refugees and migrants.
