Mediobanca Group in support of unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy
New UNHCR initiative for the protection and inclusion of vulnerable minors
The Mediobanca Group has strengthened its partnership with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, by supporting an integrated programme for the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy.
The initiative is consistent with the Group's commitment to promote inclusion and diversity in the communities in which it operates, including with the direct involvement of colleagues.
The main aim of this programme is to come alongside unaccompanied foreign minors from the time when they arrive in Italy, helping them overcome the obstacles they face in attempting to make a new start: from learning a new language, to developing new social relations, understanding their rights in terms of being integrated into the education, and helping them find job opportunities.
In 2024 a total of almost 67,000 people arrived in Italy by sea. Of these, 19% were children, and 69% of these children (8,752 out of 12,594) arrived in Italy unaccompanied, without their families.
In particular the Mediobanca Group will be working with UNHCR to promote and reinforce knowledge of the figure of the “volunteer tutor”, who is key in providing support for minors, many of whom are children, at the delicate stage of their arrival. Awareness will be raised and spread through organized meetings to be arranged throughout Italy and within the Banking Group itself.
“With this new project working alongside UNHCR, we at Mediobanca are renewing our commitment to support inclusion and diversity. Investing in the role of tutor volunteers, who provide vital support for vulnerable minors who have just arrived in Italy, has the objective of providing them with a safer and more dignified future. Facilitating the construction of a solid and inclusive social and economic fabric, in which the principles of trust, solidarity, equal opportunities and a decent way of life are applied to all citizens, is an integral part of our Group's objectives”, said Giovanna Giusti del Giardino, Mediobanca Group Chief Sustainability Officer.
“The world is seeing an increasing number of conflicts and people forced to leaver their own homes and countries as a result. Without valid alternatives, many foreign minors arrive in Italy unaccompanied, without parents or relatives. Many of them are still very young, do not speak the language, and have to contend with enormous difficulties with life in a new country that they don’t know. Even though the national laws which guarantee them protection are some of the most advanced in existence, the system in place to welcome them still needs to be upgraded, to ensure that it meets their needs most effectively. Together with Mediobanca, a vital partner for UNHCR, we can offer many of the foreign minors in Italy the support which they required, said Chiara Cardoletti, UNHCR representative for Italy, the Holy See and San Marino.
Milan, 19 May 2025
