Context
Since April 2024, IRC Italy has taken on the role of operational partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the implementation of protection activities in the main landing and first-arrival areas in Southern Italy. The partnership, renewed annually, reached its third year of implementation in 2026, ensuring continuity and consolidation of interventions.
The initiative focuses particularly on Sicily — including the island of Lampedusa — and Calabria, two key regions for sea arrivals and the transit of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. In these contexts, often characterized by high pressure on services and complex needs, it is essential to ensure timely access to information, vulnerability screening, case management, and essential services.
Objective
The objective of the project is to strengthen the protection of newly arrived people in Italy by ensuring equitable and timely access to rights, information, and services, with particular attention to the most vulnerable groups.
Areas of intervention
Activities are carried out in the main landing and reception areas:
- Sicily: Lampedusa, Agrigento, Catania
- Calabria: Reggio Calabria
Teams operate at landing points, transit areas, and reception centres (Hubs, Hotspots, and CAS), reaching people from the earliest stages of their arrival in the country.
Donor: UNHCR
- Total project budget: 1,315,391 EUR
- Spent in 2024: 357,655 EUR
- Spent in 2025: 531,551 EUR
- Spent in 2026: 426,185 EUR
Main activities
The project adopts an integrated and cross-sectoral protection approach, which includes:
- Legal information and orientation: individual and group sessions on access to international protection, the asylum procedure, and rights in Italy;
- Outreach and field presence: interventions at arrival and reception sites to promptly identify people’s needs;
- Identification of vulnerabilities: detection of individuals with specific needs (minors, families, survivors of violence, people with health or psychological vulnerabilities);
- Referral and coordination: referral of cases to relevant actors (Prefectures, managing authorities, local and international organizations) to ensure appropriate case management;
- Support for survivors of gender-based violence: dedicated activities and priority referrals for access to safe spaces and specialized services.
Activities are tailored based on the profile of the individuals reached, taking into account gender, age, nationality, and specific vulnerabilities.
Implementation modalities
The project is co-implemented by IRC Italy and UNHCR, with complementary roles:
- UNHCR ensures technical supervision, coordination, and strategic guidance;
- IRC Italy ensures operational implementation and direct engagement with beneficiaries.
IRC teams are composed of protection experts and cultural mediators, who facilitate communication in the beneficiaries’ native languages and support the identification of needs during individual interviews. In specific contexts, such as Lampedusa, specialized expertise on gender-based violence is available.
Key results
From June 2024 to December 2025, IRC teams provided protection services to 80,306 people at the point of disembarkation.
During 2025, the project achieved significant results:
- 52,083 people reached through protection services and information sessions
- 1,123 monitoring visits at landing points and reception centers
- 304 visits to verify conditions and standards of facilities
- 12,545 vulnerable individuals identified and referred, including accompanied and unaccompanied minors
- 1,956 people supported with specialized gender-based violence services
Activities in 2026 continue in line with this model, maintaining a similar level of intervention in response to migration flows in Southern Italy.
Impact
The project contributes to strengthening the protection system in first-arrival areas, improving access to rights, asylum procedures, and essential services. It also fosters better coordination among stakeholders and a more effective response to the needs of the most vulnerable individuals.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The initiative is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular:
- SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities (Target 10.7): promoting safe, orderly, and regular migration;
- SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (Targets 16.3 and 16.2): strengthening access to justice and protection systems;
- SDG 5 – Gender Equality (Target 5.2): combating violence against women and girls.