Rome, 11 December 2015

With the interventions of the Grand Chancellor H.E. Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager, the Grand Hospitaller H.E. Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, H.E. Ambassador Stefano Ronca, the General Secretary of “Malteser International” Ingo Radtke, the Order’s Ambassadors accredited to the transit countries of the refugees from Syria, Iraq, Libya and other areas involved in the tragic events triggered by the terrorism of the ISIS’ so-called “caliphate”, was held – at the Order’s historic headquarters of the Aventine in Rome – the Conference on “Refugees and migrants: Role and mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta. “
During the Conference, have given their contribution and brought their experience, the Director of CISOM (Italian Emergency Corps of the Order of Malta), Mauro Casinghini and Antonio Ricci, Director of IDOS (Study and Research Centre/Statistical Dossier on Immigration). The Grand Chancellor in his opening speech reiterated the concept that, from a humanitarian point of view, no person can be considered “illegal” and therefore denied of help.

The world scenario of migration sees more than 230 million people moving in the World (the continent of origin in Asia has 92 million people, Europe 59, America 41, Africa 31 and Oceania has 2). Of these people, 48% are women and 15% are children, with peaks of 25% in Europe, noting that 3,300 migrants have died in the course of 2015 and 700 of them were children.
The issue of discrimination in Europe has been discussed, especially in regards to the “equal treatment”.

Particularly touching was the short film projected by the Director of CISOM Mauro Casinghini, which showed the importance of the support provided by the Order of Malta, in terms of health care, the rescue of the abandoned migrants by smugglers, and in regards to the means used for the crossings.

Ambassador Stefano Ronca, Diplomatic Adviser to the Grand Chancellor and appointed Ambassador of the Order to the Quirinal, then recalled the importance of correct and constant communication for both humanitarian and institutional initiatives. Ambassador Ronca has reported in detail on the participation of the Order to the recent international conferences in Geneva, Valletta and Berlin, as well as on the initiative promoted by the Order, and held at the Aventine, of dialogue between representatives of the two Governments de facto Libyan.

Ambassador Alberto di Luca – providing data and reporting statements by members of the Government of Serbia – has highlighted the quality and practicality of the activities prepared by the Government of Serbia to give an adequate response to the request for transit through its territory of the considerable flux of migration during 2015.

Download Ambassador Alberto di Luca’s speech here.