Permanent Mission Of Italy to the United Nations
ITALY AT THE UNITED NATIONS
ON ITS 150th ANNIVERSARY
The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and the Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-moon
Highlights of the Italian Activities
at the 65th General Assembly
(2010-2011)
ITALY AT THE UNITED NATIONS
ON ITS 150th ANNIVERSARY
Highlights of the Italian Activities
at the 65th General Assembly
(2010-2011)
Editorial Staff:
Ruggero Corrias
Laura Egoli
Gianmarco Macchia
Michael Moore
Angela Carabelli
Valentina Gasbarri
Mattia Ventura
Printed by
Hermitage Press, Inc. Trenton NJ
A publication of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations www.italyun.esteri.it
Edition December 2011
“On March 17 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the
Unification of Italy. We are an ancient nation but a
young State that became a Republic at the same time the
United Nations were born.”
The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, in his
speech to the General Assembly on March 28th, 2011.
Copyright © 2011 by the Italian Permanent Mission to the United Nations
Editorial by Ruggero Corrias, Laura Egoli, Gianmarco Macchia, Michael Moore, Angela Carabelli, Valentina Gasbarri and Mattia Ventura.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the authors. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may
quote short excerpts in a review.
The Italian Permanent Mission to the United Nations
www.italyun.esteri.it
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: December 2011
ITALY AT THE UNITED NATIONS
ON ITS 150th ANNIVERSARY
Index
INTRODUCTION
150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIFICATION OF ITALY
- Visit of the President of the Republic of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, to the
United Nations
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
- The Security Council Reform and the Rome Conference
- Piracy/Somalia
- Arab Spring
- Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking and Terrorism
- Peacekeeping
HUMAN RIGHTS
- Italy’s election to the Human Rights Council
- Abolishing the death penalty
- Combating female genitale mutilation
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
- Libya
- Somalia
INTRODUCTION
By Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini
The 65th United Nations General Assembly coincided with the festivities for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification.
A young country that came of
age politically and democratically – when it became a Republic – at the same time as the
birth of the United Nations.
The tragic toll of two world
wars that “in our lifetime have
brought untold sorrow to mankind” convinced Italy that the
only way forward was to embrace democracy and join an
international structure founded
on human rights, the dignity of
the person, and the equal rights
of Nations large and small.
In those same years Italy
adopted its Constitution, which
“rejects war as an instrument of
aggression against the freedom
of other peoples and as a means
for the settlement of international disputes”; consents, “on
conditions of equality with other
States, to the limitations of sovereignty that may be necessary
to a world order ensuring peace
and justice among the Nations”;
and resolves “to encourage international organizations furthering such ends.”
These ideals – enshrined in the
founding principles of the Republic – have inspired the international action of Italy at the
United Nations during the more
than 60 years of the Organization’s existence.
The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in
New York, H.E. Ambassador Cesare Maria Ragaglini
To honor these principles the President of the Republic
of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, made a visit to the United
Nations in the spring and delivered an address to the
General Assembly on March 28, 2011.
The message conveyed by the Italian Head of State to the
United Nations and the highlights of Italy’s actions
throughout the 65th General Assembly are recorded in
this publication, which seeks to provide an easy-to-use
outline of what Italy has done in support of the mission
of the United Nations in the past year.
Cesare Maria Ragaglini
Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations
New York, December 2011
150th ANNIVERSARY of THE
UNIFICATION of ITALY
Front page of the weekly Italian newspaper “Domenica del Corriere” on the meeting
between Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vittorio Emanuele II at Teano on 26th October 1860.
Source: Google Images Photo
Visit of the President of the Republic of Italy
Giorgio Napolitano
to the United Nations
The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, in his speech to the General Assembly
on March 28th, 2011.
On the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, paid an official visit to the United Nations on March 28. He met with SecretaryGeneral, Ban Ki-moon, and the President of the General Assembly, Joseph Deiss, after which
he delivered the following speech to the General Assembly:
President Deiss, Secretary-General Ban,
Permanent Representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is for me a great honor to address the General Assembly at an extremely challenging time for us all.
We are witnessing significant threats to international peace and security, hotbeds of political instability, economic
and financial turmoil and unprecedented natural disasters. The winds of freedom,
human dignity and social justice are blowing across the world. We need to uphold
human rights as a foundation of political stability and sustainable growth. We need
to strengthen international legitimacy and the rule of law. We need to renew our
commitment to a multilateral system of international relations.
We need the United Nations.
Italy’s history, geography and culture are rooted in the Mediterranean. Europe’s fortunes rise and fall with the
Mediterranean. As Italians, as Europeans, we see ourselves as part of the Mediterranean. Seas and oceans unite
peoples and destinies. Our future lies in a shared partnership with our friends in North Africa, in the Middle
East, on the Gulf.
In recent weeks and months a wave of turmoil and discontent has shaken many countries in the region. People
took to the street. I will not hide our concern over this turn of events. Nobody likes instability at his doorstep. Yet
in some cases the stability was more fragile and precarious than it looked to be and we should have been more
conscious of the possible consequences of authoritarian forms of government and of corruption in the ruling elite
circles.
Instead the path toward political compromise, dialogue with civil society, and democratic participation that many
governments have bravely undertaken will result in strengthened State institutions and rule of law. Democracy will
advance, rising from the inside, not imported from the outside. Firm and reliable foundations to economic growth
and shared prosperity will be established.
Our Mediterranean partners and friends own their future. But they must know that they are not alone, not isolated, not forgotten. Italy and Europe stand ready to join forces with them and to support their efforts at political,
social and economic renewal. In early March, with the Joint Communication of the European Commission in a
partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean, the European Union has put
forward a more focused, innovative and far-reaching strategy, to respond to the changing landscape in the Mediterranean. “Political and economic reform must go handin-hand and help deliver political rights and freedom,
accountability and participation. The EU should be ready
to offer greater support to
those countries ready to work
on such a common agenda,
but also reconsider support
when countries depart from
this track”. This is what
long-lasting stabilization is
about. Its foundations are to
be sought in freedom, thriving
civil society, respect for human
rights, democratic progress,
national reconciliation and The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano and the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, Amb. Cesare Maria
good governance.
Ragaglini.
Unfortunately none of the
above was anywhere to be seen in Libya. The Libyan government rejected countless international calls, including a
unanimous appeal from this Body, and responded to dissent with repression, to civilian protest with military force,
at an unprecedented scale.
The world could not remain idle while the Libyan leader inflicted large casualties
and massive destruction on his own people. The responsibility to protect is incumbent
on the United Nations, while chapter VII of the Charter specifically mandates the
use of force to maintain international peace and security.
In Libya, we are now in the process of protecting the civilian population and enforcing the UN Charter, acting under the full international legitimacy of Security
Council resolution 1973 of March 17.
In no way do we underestimate the human costs and risks of military action.
On international missions abroad Italy has paid a high price in human life and suffering. But as I stated in Geneva in my address to the Human Rights Council on March 4, international legal protection of human rights is at
the heart of the United Nations system, witness the Universal Declaration on Human Rights of 1948. It is more
and more relevant to all member States – without exception. Human rights have progressively become a cornerstone
of international relations. As a consequence, gross violations of human rights make a regime illegitimate and place
it out of the community of States.
This is a key concept that is constantly gaining ground, as shown by the approval of 1973 Resolution. It does not
mean exporting a specific model of democracy, but promoting and protecting fundamental civil, political and religious freedoms as a
prerequisite for the
autonomous building,
bottom-up, State by
State, of any democratic system.
Libya belongs to a
region that is undergoing profound change
originating in common
principles, principles of
justice and progress,
tolerance and human
dignity, as President
Obama highlighted in
his Cairo speech in
June 2009. These values we all share. HavThe President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and the Permanent ing been recently reaffirmed by the Arab
Mission’s Carabinieri .
League, they have become a beacon for the transformation underway in the Mediterranean.
On March 17 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
We are an ancient nation but a young State that became a Republic at the same time as the United Nations were
born.
“Twice in our lifetime the scourge of war has brought untold sorrow to mankind,” reads the Preamble of the Charter. In those same years Italy embraced democracy at home and the international multilateral order in the world as
two sides of the same coin. We enthusiastically adopted multilateralism: the two cornerstones of the position of Italy
in the sphere of international relations are participation in the birth and growth of the European Community and
adhesion to the Atlantic Alliance. The United Nations embodies the same choice on a global scale: respect for the
rights and dignity of the human person and equal status for all Nations, large and small, make it a truly universal
organization.
At the same time as the founding of the United Nations, Italy adopted its Constitution, which “Rejects war as an instrument of aggression against the freedom of other
peoples and as a means of settling international disputes”; consents “On conditions of
equality with other States, to the limitations of sovereignty that may be necessary to a
world order assuring peace and justice among Nations”; and resolves “to encourage
international organizations furthering such ends.”
These ideals, embedded in the founding principles of the Republic, have inspired the international action of my
country during the more than sixty years of life of the
United Nations and our active contribution in building the European supranational institutions.
Mr. President
In the millennium we have just entered the United Nations is confronted with old and new challenges.
While international peace and security, human rights and sustainable development remain paramount, other controversies have
emerged. For
the first time in
history
economic progress,
fostered by international
cooperation,
has succeeded
in
defeating
abject poverty
and deprivation
for a significant
portion of mankind. Unfortunately the severe financial
crisis underway
since 2008 has
exposed
the
The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and the President of the
dramatic
imbalGeneral Assembly, Joseph Deiss.
ances of the international economy and finance and, following the near collapse of the banking system and the necessity of a bail–
out, has led to an unprecedented accumulation of sovereign debt in many countries.
Finance and financial vehicles are moving fast, too fast for States to react in real time.
This is not a failure of globalization; it is a failure of international economic governance. For millions, such as
farmers in remote regions earning a decent living thanks to better productive techniques or improved sales through
mobile phone or Internet, globalization has been a powerful engine of growth and prosperity. But there has also
been a globalization of problems, to the extent that sovereign nations are no longer able to solve them within a
national framework. The globalization of problems demands a globalization of solutions.
In the economic realm, the world has been transformed since the time of Bretton Woods. The gold standard has
been eclipsed and, with the IT revolution, a click on the computer can move unlimited quantities of money, even
virtual, as a bet on future quotations. Sometimes one can get the impression that the virtual economy has taken
over the real economy, in the same way that financial speculation has replaced manufacturing and labor. While
financial vehicles have certainly helped credit, they have also generated an unabashed
confidence in the sustainability of family debt, one of the causes of the 2008 international crisis. Its main cause probably lies in the weakening of old regulatory system
and in the delay and outright reluctance to adopt new rules and regulatory authorities.
It is in this direction that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been tirelessly urging
the United Nations to advance its agenda.
World stability is
at risk also because of natural
disasters, profound changes,
political upheavals.
Since 2004 an
unprecedented
chain of tsunamis, earthquakes,
floods, droughts,
fires
have
brought
about extreme
pain and sorrow,
claiming hundreds of thousands of human
lives.
The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and the Secretary-General,
Let me take this Ban Ki-moon.
opportunity to
renew my solidarity to the Japanese people for the suffering inflicted on them by a devastating tsunami and my admiration for their resilience. It is time for the world community to repay the generosity that Japan has never failed to
extend to other in similar hardships.
Political upheavals can be explained as the bright side of globalization, which has made everyone feel that they are
citizens of a wider world. Time is running out for regimes that hide the truth, restrict the movement of peoples, and
resort to lies, bribery and distortions of the outside world. Time is running out for cosmetic, limited reforms. What is
at stake is the relationship between the citizen and the State, the so-called social contract. The world has a clear
responsibility not only to help this new dawn to become a reality but also to intervene whenever dictatorship, violence
and obscurity try to stem the tide. The international community has to heed the call for freedom, justice and fair opportunities coming from societies so far kept under the lid of violence and oppression.
There is no tradeoff between stability and democratic freedoms. On the contrary, they reinforce each other.
No nation can go alone. Such challenges must be met on the basis of international legitimacy. The governance of a
complex and interconnected world can and should be developed in various ways, through new or reformed bodies, in
order to obtain the maximum available effectiveness and efficiency. But the political and legal basis is the United
Nations. I am aware of the on-going debate on the need for greater cooperation between the United Nations and the
new forms of international governance that this General Assembly has created in such a constructive spirit. In this
regard I wish to pay tribute to President Deiss for his determination in promoting this dialogue.
The issue of global governance goes to the heart of the United Nations. It also requires that the UN cope with significant change and diversification. New global actors have emerged on the international scene; others will follow in
their footsteps.
The legitimacy of the Organization is embedded in the universal principle of equality
among its members of which this Assembly is the greatest expression.
The Charter was the result of a spirit of give and take, of tolerance, openness, and
respect for the views and interests of others, in the spirit of dialogue, compromise and
search for consensus best expressed by Mahatma Gandhi:
“But all my life through, the very insistence on truth has taught me to appreciate the
beauty of compromise.”
We need consensus on this more than on any other provision of the Charter.
In order to strengthen the maintenance of international peace and security, any reform of the Security Council
should enable the Council to be more representative, efficient and accountable to the Member States.
We all share the goals of international governance, peace and security. The entire membership must be able to
claim ownership of Security Council reform.
Mr. President
Europe is in the front line of today’s challenges. Last week the EU Head of Governments took significant steps
toward streamlining and strengthening
fiscal and monetary discipline in the
Eurozone. They reaffirmed their commitment to building a partnership of
security and development in the Mediterranean.
Since the beginning of the integration
process, Europe has been living in peace,
a peace that has lasted more than sixty
years, for the first time in history. It has
expanded from the original 6 to 27
Countries. It cooperates with the United
Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security. It has a single
currency. It has created a common space
in which to trade and circulate freely.
Now, we need more Europe. With the
Lisbon Treaty, the European Union
had already moved forward on the path
of institution strengthening and parliamentary accountability. Current circumstances dictate more integration, includThe President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, with
the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Vincenzo Scotti, and the ing further pooling of sovereignty espePermanent Representative of Italy at the United Nations, Amb. cially in the fiscal and monetary domain. For us Europeans this is a must:
Cesare Maria Ragaglini, at the Permanent Mission.
there is no turning back from the common currency that 17 Member States
freely chose to share.
The good health of the euro is vital to the world economy. As stated by the recent European Council, we are
ready willing to take all the necessary measures to that effect. The strengthening of the single currency requires
more integration; in turn it will be the driving force for further progress toward a single European voice in world’s
affairs, namely in foreign and security policy.
Europe’s choices were rooted in history, triggered by tragic mistakes, backed by the
steady support of the United States of America and by the security provided by the
Atlantic Alliance. In the universality of the United Nations, the European pattern
does not claim to be a one-size-fits-all model. Yet, by succeeding beyond any realistic
expectation, the European Union epitomizes the benefits and added value of multilateralism and international cooperation.
Let me take pride in our journey from ashes and rubble to a healthy union of peoples and governments. What we
have achieved in
Europe – in peace,
stability, prosperity and
justice – is what the
Charter of United Nations stands for in the
world.
Italy has been unstinting in its support for
the United Nations,
since it is the most legitimate forum for promoting the fundamental
values of humankind.
A robust and Credible
UN serves the best
interests of the international community.
The sixth contributor The President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and the Permanent
to the regular budget Representative of Italy to the United Nations, Amb. Cesare Maria Ragaglini.
and to peacekeeping
operations, Italy also contributes with more blue helmets than any other European country.
Not only do we financially support the United Nations’ missions, we also provide human resources, equipment,
and the know-how to effectively implement the Security Council mandates.
In a post-conflict environment, nations, peoples, women and children, identify their hopes for a better future in the
flag of the United Nations. Their expectations must be met.
Eight-thousand Italian women and men in uniform at the service of UN or UN-authorized peace operations; the
Brindisi Logistics Base; the recent cooperation agreements between the Carabinieri Corps and the Organization for
the training of Blue Helmets: this is Italy’s response to enable the UN to fulfill its mission.
Our long, distinguished and challenging history of participation in UN missions includes the highest sacrifice
bravely paid by Blue Helmet wearing Italians.
Let me now touch on issues that are especially dear to our heart.
Our opposition to the death penalty stems from our long-standing conviction of the right to life.
In 1700 the Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria asked a simple question:
“Did anyone ever give to others the right of taking away his life?”
The historic 2007 General Assembly resolution for a moratorium on executions has been given a boost by increased margins in 2008 and 2009.
Italy is confident in the momentum created by the civil society and in the growing membership support for abolishing capital punishment.
We want to bring to the attention of the world community the dramatic plight of children in armed conflicts. We support a training project for Blue Helmets who will
have to address this plight on the ground.
We are committed to the elimination of all forms of violence against women, and in particular the practice of female genital mutilation.
In the wake of President Truman’s words in San Francisco, “All progress begins with differences of opinion and
moves onward as the differences are adjusted through reason and mutual understanding,” Italy will continue to ask
the United Nations to be in the forefront of the prevention of genocide, the fight against all forms of discrimination,
the protection of minorities, and the elimination of religious intolerance.
Thank you.
Giorgio Napolitano
President of the Italian Republic
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
(Source: Google Images)
Security Council Reform
The 65th General Assembly coincided with the third year of intergovernmental negotiations on
Security Council reform. The two previous sessions allowed Member States to formally present
their positions, which are collected in a document redacted by the Chair of the negotiations. Italy, together with Colombia, had already given a signal of flexibility by presenting a new platform on behalf of the Uniting for Consensus group. Inspired by the principles of representation
and accountability,
the proposal puts
forward as a compromise solution the
possibility of longerterm seats. Our approach is not “take it
or leave it” but
rather the desire to
urge the membership to enter into a
true negotiation.
The Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Rome
This genuine act of
political will was
met, instead, by
strong-arm tactics
on the part of a
small group of
Member States.
In abandoning the intergovernmental negotiations, the so-called G4 promoted a resolution focused on only two of the five negotiating pillars established by consensus in the General Assembly at the end of its 62nd session: categories (in their request to enlarge the Security Council also
to new permanent members), and working methods (in a vague reference to enhancing them).
This rupture undermined the climate of trust that had been gradually established among the
members, led to more rigid positions and resulted in an open diplomatic battle.
On the strength of its arguments and the transparency and inclusiveness of its methods, Italy, its
UfC partners and some of the top leaders of the United Nations began a dialogue with the
membership as a whole, pointing out the ambiguities and contradictions of the G4 proposal (in
particular, on whether to endow new permanent members with the veto) and calling for a transparent dialogue and compromise.
The action promoted by Italy and its partners to resume the negotiations on the basis of these parameters culminated in a Ministerial Conference in Rome on Security Council Reform of 16 May
2011, in which – in addition to the President of the General Assembly and the Chair of the negotiations – 123 Member
States took part.
Ultimately, the overwhelming majority of the membership rejected the substance and the methods of
the G4 proposal, which
was set aside in the end,
since it failed to receive the
support of even 35% of the
membership.
The 65th General Assembly
thus concluded with the
hope for a resumption of
the negotiations, according
to an approach based on
realism and the spirit of
Inaugural Session of the Conference of Rome on “Global Governance and
compromise, in recognition
Security Council Reform” (Rome, May 16, 2011).
of the efforts of President Deiss who had sought to
move the process forward on these bases.
It is with this spirit that Italy is preparing its work for
the 66th General Assembly, in the conviction that, as the
President of the Republic of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano,
indicated in his address to the General Assembly on 27
March 2011, it is only through a compromise solution
that “the entire membership can claim ownership of Security Council reform.”
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Franco Frattini,
and the President of General Assembly, Joseph Deiss, at the
Rome Conference on “Global Governance and Security
Council Reform”.
Piracy/Somalia
Somalia has long been a priority of Italian foreign policy, stemming from our longstanding historic and cultural ties with the Somali people and our awareness of the grave risk of destabilization to the Horn of Africa and indeed the international community as a whole represented by
the Somali situation. These risks run the gamut from piracy – which affects international trade
and the regional economy – to the security threats caused by the propagation of terrorism.
To find a solution to
the challenges of this
situation and persuade the international community to
assume a more active
role of advocacy for
Somalia, Italy contributes at both the
bilateral and multilateral levels. We believe
that bringing peace to
the Country will require a holistic and
multilateral approach
involving the main
regional actors and all
the Somali stakeholders, who must European Naval Force Somalia —Operation Atalanta
have ownership of (Source: EUNAVFOR Somalia website)
any process that concerns Somalia.
In addition to carrying out an energetic action in a European framework, aimed at defining a
European position on Somalia and the appointment of a EU Special Representative for Somalia,
Italy is actively engaged at the United Nations and strongly supports the efforts of the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Augustine Mahiga.
Italy was among the promoters of the High-Level Meeting on Somalia held on September 23,
2010, on the initiative of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to discuss the Somali question with
the Countries most involved in seeking a solution.
In July 2011, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with his British and Spanish counterparts, requested that the Secretary-General organize a new HighLevel meeting on the margins of the 2011 General Assembly to discuss
the political, security and humanitarian situation in Somalia as well as
the prospects for a greater United Nations and international presence
in the Country.
Italy’s request resulted in the Mini-Summit on Somalia of 23 September 2011, chaired by Ban
Ki-moon, in which 21 Countries participated along with the African Union, the European Union, the Arab League and the Organization for Islamic Cooperation. On this occasion, Italy announced the imminent reopening of its diplomatic mission in Mogadishu.
During the 65th General Assembly, Italy discussed the Somali question with the main United
Nations offices, including the Special
Representative of
the SecretaryGeneral, in New
York and Nairobi,
making available its
knowledge and contacts and sharing its
ideas in various areas, particularly on
the preparation of
the Road Map later
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) counter-piracy operation approved by the
in the Gulf of Aden.
main Somali stakeholders on 6 September 2011 and on the occasion of various meeting of the Somali Contact Group convened by
Ambassador Mahiga.
The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations delivered an address to the Security Council on March 10, 2011, at the debate on the situation in Somalia, to urge the international community to renew its
commitment, on an emergency
basis, in consideration of the
growing challenges, especially the
latest humanitarian problems,
that threaten peace and security
in the Horn of Africa and continue to afflict the Somali people.
Italy is also following closely the
discussion at the United Nations
on how to counter the troubling
rise of piracy along the Somali
coast. It will take a holistic apEuropean Naval Force Somalia
proach that combines military
(Source: EUNAVFOR Somalia website)
operations, prosecution and
socio-economic development.
We are participating in the Atalanta and Ocean Shields operations and
are seated on the board of the United Nations Trust Fund for the support of anti-piracy initiatives, having also co-sponsored resolution
1976, which was approved by the Security Council on 11 April 2011.
Arab Spring
Located geographically in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy has from the start observed
with close attention and deep sympathy the movement of change involving all the Countries on
the southern shores of Mare nostrum.
Youths, women, the elderly, people defending with dignity their work from tyranny, are all demanding a different and more equitable distribution of wealth, civil liberties – first and foremost
freedom of expression – that the new technologies quite simply take for granted, based on the
values we have helped to nurture through listening, dialogue and reflection with the best components of those societies.
A young Egyptian girl during a protest in Cairo.
This is why in our bilateral relations (Source: Google Images Photo)
with each State involved in the Arab
Spring and in the multilateral forum of the United Nations, Italy immediately aligned with the
people to favor the adoption of support measures to accompany these processes without trying
to influence their outcome.
Conscious of Italy’s role in the Mediterranean and of how the peoples of the Countries bordering on this Sea look to us as a model, an example and a point of support in times of difficulty,
we have never failed to extend a helping hand to anyone who has asked, also in more complex
situations and before more problematic challenges.
Through our development cooperation but also thanks to the precious
collaboration with the United Nations Agencies, we have healed the
wounded, fed the hungry, reopened the schools, conveyed a word of
friendship and respect.
These are the bridges that every day, also at the United Nations, our
Country helps to build to unite the two shores of the Mediterranean.
Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking and
Terrorism
The international community is striving to deal effectively with new phenomena that affect
global security: these often closely-interlinked threats include terrorism and criminal activities.
To match these challenges, Italy promoted the adoption of the “Omnibus Resolution on
Crime” (“Strengthening the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program, in
particular its technical cooperation capacity”) during the 65th UN General Assembly. The Resolution was adopted by consensus
and co-sponsored by 132 Member
States, a General Assembly record.
The Resolution granted greater
visibility and encouraged renewed
political commitment on the UN
agenda to the fight against transnational organized crime, corruption, illicit trafficking and terrorism. It promoted implementation
of all pertinent United Nations
instruments, in particular the Palermo Convention and its addiGuardia di Finanza: drug seizure (Source: Google Images Photo)
tional Protocols, which cover
extraditions, international confiscation and mutual legal assistance, thereby strengthening international cooperation. This year,
the number of States parties to the Palermo Convention has reached 164.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of all the delegations, we were able to incorporate into the text important new issues, such as trafficking in cultural property, juvenile delinquency and the adoption of the Global Plan of Action on Human Trafficking.
The Resolution also confirmed the membership’s support for the technical assistance activities
of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
For Italy this is not just a priority: it is the heart of our political vision, the true added value we
contribute to international efforts. Our programs in the rule of law, institution building and
training for judges, prosecutors and lawyers make us leaders in the justice sector in areas as varied as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and West Africa,
where there are close links between terrorism and other destabilizing
factors, especially transnational organized crime.
When the UNODC gave us an early warning some years ago about the
risk of West Africa becoming a platform for drug trafficking and
organized crime, Italy provided 1.3 million euros to fund international cooperation initiatives
through ECOWAS and the West Africa Coast Initiative, which brought together DPA, DPKO
and Interpol. Italy has also provided a coastguard unit and an aircraft for the border controls in
Senegal in the framework of the EU Frontex Program.
Since January 2010, two teams of Guardia di Finanza economic and financial experts have participated in a UNODC project to build the capacity of law enforcement agencies in Guinea Bissau, Mali, Sierra Leone and Senegal to fight drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
The Italian specialized trainers developed and ran tailor-made training programs for each of
these four Countries, leading to the recent establishment of Transnational Organized Crime
Units in Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and, in the near future, Liberia.
Peace-Keeping
With more than 120,000 Blue Helmets, 16 missions on four continents and a budget of more
than seven billion euros, UN peacekeeping is the most important tool for the maintenance of
international peace and security as well as the main multilateral instrument to support postconflict stabilization processes.
The Italian Constitution rejects war as a means of settling disputes. In this spirit, Italy has always
played a leading role in the framework of United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Manpower, financial resources, training, doctrine and logistics are the pillars of our Country’s
contribution.
The sixth contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping budget, with a five percent share
amounting to approximately 400 millions dollars per year, Italy is the top Western troop contributor and the seventeenth largest overall, with more than 1,800 Blue Helmets deployed on
Italian Blue Helmets — United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
Our contribution to UNIFIL in Lebanon, one of the most complex UN missions, has marked
the return of Western Countries to UN peacekeeping, after a long period of absence from the
field.
Italy also has many women in UNIFIL. The open-mindedness of our
soldiers, their humanity, the sensitivity with which they understand
the reasons and fears of all the parties has led to this mission being a
success story in the UN panorama, but above all it has prevented a
terrible new loss of blood.
We are also responding to a substantial extent to the growing demand for the training of formed
police units on missions. Since the military and police forces come from different Countries,
they do not all have the same operative capacities, leading the United Nations to encourage the
use of national and regional training centers that provide standardized and coordinated training
in compliance with UN doctrine and criteria.
The Carabinieri Corps’ Vicenza Center of Excellence for Formed Police Units (CoESPU), following the consolidated formula of the “train the trainers” model, has achieved outstanding results in the past five years, training 4,800 police officers from 28
different Countries, mainly from
Africa and Asia.
This formula has been of demonstrated effectiveness, so much
so that the African Union, whose
member Countries are among
the top contributors of military
and police forces to peacekeeping missions, has recently proposed to cooperate with CoESPU.
The United Nations has recognized the added value of the
Carabinieri by signing a cooperation agreement with CoESPU in
2010.
Italy also provides logistic support to peacekeeping missions
through the United Nations Logistic Base (UNLB), located in
Brindisi.
Italian Army – United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
In the framework of the “Global (UNIFIL)
Field Support Strategy,” the
Brindisi Base is destined to become a Global Service Center for peacekeeping operations in the
world.
In this context, some operative functions will be transferred from the New York headquarters
to Brindisi, particularly in the areas of logistics, engineering, information and communication
technology and human resource management.
HUMAN RIGHTS
(Source: Google Images Photo)
Italy’s Election to the Human Rights
Council
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system
consisting of 47 States invested with the responsibility to promote and protect human rights
throughout the world. The Council was established by the UN General Assembly on 15 March
2006 for the purpose of addressing situations in which there are human rights violations and of
making recommendations on them.
Human Rights Council - Geneva
Source: Google Images Photo
Italy is a founding member of the Council whose first term expired in June 2010. We have always strongly supported the Council in fulfilling the high expectations placed in it since its inception. We firmly believe the Council has a key role in promoting human rights at the global
level and that all States should place their complete trust in its capacity to lead the action of the
international community in the field of human rights.
The Italian government launched a campaign for re-election to the
2011-2014 term.
During this campaign, Italy reiterated its active support for the protection of human rights
worldwide, in the conviction that respect for human rights is a prerequisite for international
peace and security.
Our commitment to
safeguarding human
rights stems from our
ideal of dialogue and
openness while upholding solid principles and values.
Italy’s 20 May 2011
election was a remarkable success. It
marked Italy’s return,
after a year of absence, to the Human
Rights Council with
180 out of 181 votes
in the General Assembly. This was indeed the absolute
Women's rights activists in India.
highest number of (Source: Google Images Photo)
votes ever obtained
in the UN General Assembly by a Western European and Others Group Country in elections
for the Human Rights Council. These excellent results are a further confirmation of the solid
support that Italy has gained within the United Nations - also owing to the concerted efforts of
the Italian Mission to the UN, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our entire diplomatic
and consular network.
Abolishing the Death Penalty
The abolition of the death penalty is a priority for Italy. In 2007, upon initiative of the EU, and
thanks in particular to Italy’s efforts, the historic General Assembly resolution for a moratorium on capital punishment was approved, with 104
Member States in
favor.
It was followed in
2008, again with a
strong Italian contribution within a determined crossregional group of
like-minded, by a
second resolution
that passed by an
even larger margin,
with 106 Countries
in favor, consolidating the marked trend
toward abolition of
the death penalty.
Protesters against death penalty
(Source: Flickr Yahoo)
Italy has held fast to
its strong commitment and been particularly active, together with its European Union partners,
in the presentation
of a third resolution
to the 65th General
Assembly.
Once again it was a
big success: 109
Countries voted in favor, expanding the ranks of the co-sponsors. The new resolution thus represented another major step toward the achievement of a universal
moratorium on the application of the death penalty, with a view to its
abolition.
Combating Female Genitale Mutilation
The Italian Government has made the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights a priority of its human rights action at the UN. A priority goal is the elimination of violence against
women.
Our Minister of Foreign
Affairs became a member
of the Network of Male
Leaders opposed to violence against women, conceived by the SecretaryGeneral, which brings together personalities from in
and outside the political
world who have a strong
commitment to this issue.
In 2010 Italy adopted an
action plan to implement
Security Council resolution
1325 to protect women in
armed conflicts and promote their role in peace
and reconciliation processes. We are among the
few Countries equipped
with this instrument.
We are also members of
the Group of Friends on
“women, peace, and security,” an informal group of
like-minded Countries and
NGOs to promote the implementation of resolution
1325. As confirmation of
our attention to gender is(Source: Google Images Photo)
sues, the Minister for Equal
Opportunities, Mara Carfagna, spoke at the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of
Women (February 2011), dedicated to the theme of access to and participation of women in education, vocational training, science and technology.
Among the most heinous forms of violence against women is the traditional practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Italy has made an
intense effort, also within the United Nations, to reinvigorate the
campaign for the abandonment of such practices, which affect not only the African continent
but also, through migratory flows, Countries such as our own.
Together with UNICEF and UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) and the most affected African Countries, we are addressing a double challenge: to draw the attention of the international community to an issue that is too low on the agendas of donors; and, consequently,
to carry out educational and social actions and projects that can have a deep impact on society,
altering the socio-cultural norms at the basis of FGMs.
Among the tools for achieving this goal we support the idea of adopting a General Assembly
Resolution on FGMs.
In this perspective we organized together with Egypt, a meeting of like-minded Countries on the
margins of ministerial
week at the 65th
UNGA.
This meeting was a
step forward in building a consensus, with
various Af rican
Countries expressing
their support for the
initiative.
Particularly important
was also the organization of a side event
on FGMs on the
margins of the 55th
Committee on the
Status of Women Statement of the Italian Minster for Equal Opportunities, Mara Carfagna, to
(February, 2011), the High-Level Event “Women, Peace and Security” ( New York, October, 20,
2010)
chaired by Minister
Carfagna together
with her counterparts from Burkina Faso and Senegal. The event joined two fundamental goals:
to keep the question on the United Nations agenda and to lend momentum to the consensusbuilding process.
Our commitment has produced positive results. The last Summit of the African Union (June
2011) adopted, at the initiative of Burkina Faso, a decision by which its members pledge to present a resolution on female genital mutilation to this General Assembly.
Now the goal is to support the work of the African countries to translate this political commitment into an initiative in New York by the
end of the 66th General Assembly.
HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE
(Source: Google Images Photo)
In the past year, our emergency relief activity has focused on two major crises: the Libyan conflict and the drought in the Horn of Africa.
Libya
In Libya our action initially focused on responding to the emergency arose from the flight toward neighboring Countries of foreign workers who had been employed there. Subsequently, we
concentrated on bringing relief to the local peoples.
The first to provide humanitarian relief to Bengasi, less than two weeks after the start of the uprising, in the days that followed we carried out similar operations in Misrata and Tunisia to benefit the Choucha refugee camp.
Deserted Town on Libyan-Egyptian Border
(Source: United Nations Photo/OCHA/David Ohana )
Our contribution to the evacuation of citizens from third Countries fleeing from Libya was also
significant. We repatriated 863 Egyptians, Malians and Bengalese, and we evacuated 227
wounded or ill Libyans so they could receive treatment at Italian health facilities.
Our contribution to UN agencies was divided between the World Health Organization (health
kits), UNICEF (water supply and hygienic services provision), FAO (support for the resumption
of vegetable and fruit production in eastern Libya), the International Organization for Migration
(repatriation of citizens fleeing toward Egypt and Tunisia) and UNMAS (humanitarian demining, removed of unexploded ordinances and mine-risk education).
Somalia
The Horn of Africa continues to be devastated by the worst humanitarian crisis in recent years.
Italy quickly responded to the appeal of the international community to intervene on behalf of
the afflicted peoples with a substantial commitment of 17.6 million euros altogether to which
another 3.4 million could be added.
The largest portion of
resources is obviously
absorbed by Somalia,
where we have been
active with bilateral initiatives (health, agriculture, food security, access to water, safeguarding of the most
vulnerable communities) and multilateral
ones, with financing to
FAO (food security
and support for the
agency-managed nutritional analysis unit); to
the specific UN Common Humanitarian
Somali refugees in Ethiopia
Fund (CHF) for Soma- (Source: Flickr Yahoo/ United Nations Photo)
lia (protection of IDPs,
food security, and water access); contribution to the United Nations Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs-OCHA (strengthening coordination of the humanitarian response); to the
International Committee of the Red Cross (cash for work activity, rebuilding river banks, distribution of fishing equipment, production of animal feed and distribution of seed); to UNHCR
(protection of IDPs and other vulnerable groups); UNICEF (treatment and prevention of acute
malnutrition); WFP (urgent food aid); UNMAS (location and removal of anti-personnel landmines and other unexploded ordinances); UNOPS (support for health facilities in south-central
Somalia).
In Kenya Italy is financing bilateral and emergency initiatives to benefit Somali refugees in the
Dadaab camps and in the host communities (providing food goods, digging wells, modernizing
the water distribution system, actions in the health and hygiene sector and actions to support the
schooling of minors). We also make multilateral contributions to the International Federation of
the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (rehabilitation of wells, providing potable water, distribution of food rations) and UNHCR, to which we deliver prime needs goods destined for IDPs
arriving in Kenya from Somalia.
Our action in Ethiopia is more contained, with contributions to OCHA (projects in the areas of
agriculture, health, nutrition, access to water and response to epidemics) and financing to
UNDP (humanitarian demining). There is also a bilateral initiative being launched for the
“emergency to reduce the risk in the areas of water, environmental hygiene and health in southern Ethiopia.”
A special thanks to
Permanent Mission Of Italy to the United Nations
885 Second Avenue (One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza), 49th floor New York, NY 10017
Tel. 1 212 486 9191
Fax 1 212 486 1036
e-mail: [email protected]
www.italyun.esteri.it