Permanent Mission of Italy
to the United Nations
Italy and Migrants:
A Humanitarian Commitment
The Italian Navy and Coast Guard have saved over 200,000
people from drowning in the Mediterranean since 2005.
Over 130,000 people were saved by “Operation Mare Nostrum”
between October 2013 and October 2014. The cost of the
Operation was 12 million $ per month.
In March 2015, the Italian Navy launched “Operation Safe Sea”
which has already saved over 34,000 migrants; an average of over
400 each day. Over 20,000 were rescued by EU operation ‘Triton’,
since the beginning of 2015.
Francesca Marina was 3 days old when she
was rescued at sea by the Italian Navy
“We have two goals: to save lives and to arrest the smugglers”
(Rear Admiral Mario Culcasi, Italian Navy)
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115,544 migrants have already arrived in Italy in 2015. Over 90% of them came
aboard boats from the Libyan coast. The majority of them are nationals from the
Horn of Africa, Sub-Saharan countries, or Syria.
Over 1,000 human smugglers have been
arrested by the Italian authorities.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visiting an
Italian Navy unit on April, 27, 2015
Every day and night, military and Coast Guard ships patrol
the Mediterranean, responding to rescue calls 24/7.
Italy is currently
providing shelter to
89,083 refugees.
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