Statement delivered by the Minister
of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Hon. Paolo
Gentiloni, at the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants (September 19,
2016)
Mr. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
I am really proud to be here today, bearing witness to the great
humanity of the Italian people in receiving those who land every day
on our shores.
For years, Italy has been left alone to face the migration crisis
in the Mediterranean; and we have done it, thanks to the commitment
and the generosity of the women and men of Lampedusa, of the Italian
Coast Guard, and of the thousands of volunteers who devoted their
time to help migrants and refugees after their perilous journey
across the Mediterranean. To all those people, here in front of you,
I would like to extend my gratitude.
Italy has long been calling for the involvement of the whole
international community in managing the migratory phenomenon. I am
therefore particularly pleased to see that, thanks to the sensitivity
and vision of the Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, and of the High
Representative for Refugees, Mr Grandi, the principle of shared
responsibility is now welcomed by all the members of the United
Nations.
After all, what we are trying to do is not simply to resolve an
emergency or a crisis, but we are looking for durable solutions for a
situation that will affect generations to come.
On the one hand, we are all aware of the international obligations
regarding the protection of refugees. Such protection is due to those
who are fleeing war and persecution. In my opinion, such protection
should be extended to new categories of refugees, like people fleeing
disasters caused by climate change.
On the other hand, even those seeking a better life, those fleeing
poverty and the lack of a future have the right to an answer from us,
they have the right to hope. They should be able to hope that a
better life is attainable in their own country, in their own home.
In this spirit, Italy has promoted – also through our proposal
of a “Migration Compact”, to our EU partners – a plan to
develop a true partnership with African countries of origin. I have
said this on other occasions and I really believe it: the future of
Europe is in Africa. We have to invest in Africa to tackle the root
causes of migration, primarily economic and demographic inequalities.
But most of all, we should invest in Africa because it means we are
investing in our own future.
However, we all know that this kind of commitment will produce
results only in the long term. Meanwhile, we have to give a
humanitarian, answer: we have to save lives. On this, I am asking for
solidarity, I am asking for the full commitment of the whole
international community.
Italy has been at the forefront of the migration crisis in the
Mediterranean for years, with its Search and Rescue Operations. More
than 75,000 (seventy-five thousand) people were saved in 2015, and
more than 60,000 so far this year, by Italian units only. These are
impressive numbers, but even more impressive and even more moving are
the tales of pain and suffering behind those numbers.
To this emergency, we have to answer now. This is why, thanks once
again to the support of civil society, Italy has promoted a
resettlement program (the humanitarian corridor project) aimed at
saving at least the most vulnerable among migrants: I am thinking
particularly of women and unaccompanied children. We should be able
to keep them from having to embark on a dangerous journey across the
desert or the sea, in the hands of smugglers.
We hope that the Humanitarian Corridor project could be taken up,
as a best practice, by other countries. Let’s give protection to
refugees, but also let’s give hope to those who have lost it, to
the weakest among migrants, like children, and like women who travel
alone.
Let’s give them hope, and by doing it we will also give hope and
a vision to our own society: by protecting the most vulnerable we are
protecting our own values; by saving children’s lives we are saving
our own future.
Let’s invest in our future, let’s invest in children, let’s
empower women, let’s give them all a voice; this is the only way to
build a fair and equal society. Let’s refuse the idea that today,
for some young women, for some small children the only prospect is to
rely on smugglers.
We need to give an immediate answer to those in need of protection
and a practical solution for the most vulnerable migrants: this is
Italy’s commitment here today. This is my appeal to all of you:
protection not only for refugees, but also for vulnerable migrants.
We will raise this issue with our partners during Italy’s
Presidency of the G7 next year. Do not allow that a child fleeing
from Aleppo find his death on a Mediterranean shore.
STATEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PERMANENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF ITALY TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AMBASSADOR INIGO
LAMBERTINI, AT THE OPEN DEBATE ON “THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN COUNTERING
VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND PROMOTING PEACE” (April 23, 2015)
Mr. President,
I thank the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
for organizing today’s open debate and in particular His Royal
Highness the Crown Prince for chairing the meeting and for his
inspiring words. Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by
the European Union and wishes to add the following remarks in a
national capacity.
Mr. President,
Today’s
open debate enables us to think more strategically about the role of
youth in countering violent extremism. According to the latest
statistics, the current youth population (people between the ages of
10 and 24) is the largest ever. 1.8 billion people. 600 thousand of
them are girls. Most of those 1.8 billion live in developing
countries. They are the world’s best hope for addressing in the
long term our most pressing challenges, particularly how to counter
violent extremism and promote peace.
As the Italian
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has stated
repeatedly, the fight against violent extremism has to be waged at
different levels: in terms of narrative, values, and financing. Which
brings me to the second underlying theme of today’s debate. The
importance of prevention. In the past decade extremist ideologies
have increased their appeal to youth, through communication campaigns
that target this specific demographic. It is both a moral obligation
and a strategic investment for us to turn the tide. By countering the
appeal of violent and extremist groups among young people, we will
deny these groups access to their most valuable resource, pulling the
rug out from under their feet.
So we should not be asking
ourselves what role youth can have in countering violent extremism
and promoting peace. We should be asking how young people themselves
can be the heart of the solution. To this end, we have identified
areas that we should be targeting.
First of all, Mr.
President, education. The abduction of students and the targeting of
schools and universities by violent and extremist groups are a clear
sign of their weakness. Culture and education are their worst enemy.
But at the same time, they are our best allies to promote tolerance,
inclusiveness and open-mindedness. In the wake of the horrific attack
on the Garissa Campus in Kenya, Minister Gentiloni paid an official
visit to Nairobi to renew our full support for Kenya in that hour of
tragedy, to pay respect to the victims, and to signal that the fight
against terrorism and the protection of the right to education are a
shared value. As a tangible proof of our friendship, we have offered
scholarships to students of the Garissa campus to signal that
assuring access to quality education, regardless of the
circumstances, is our best counterattack on violent
extremism.
Second, human rights and justice. To promote
peaceful, inclusive and just societies, we must defend and support
the shared values under attack. Human rights must be restored to the
center of the agenda. In this respect, we must not underestimate the
preventive power of justice by upholding rule of law and
accountability.
Third, socio-economic development.
Unfulfilled expectations. Unemployment. Underemployment. Inequality.
All these factors have the potential to drive idle and dissatisfied
young people down the pathway to radical, violent ideologies. In
defining the post-2015 agenda, we must be mindful of the positive
impact that a universal, innovative, easily-communicated agenda will
have on youth living in developing countries.
Fourth
private/public partnerships, including media. The proactive
involvement of civil society is essential to our success. Governments
and the international community have to provide an enabling
environment and lead with projects. But a joint effort is needed to
“fill in” the framework. Social media has a special role to play
in countering the narrative proposed by violent extremist groups.
This makes it vital to address this issue in the Framework of
Analysis, which Italy supports. Social media can have both a negative
and a positive effect. It can aggravate the risk of atrocity crimes,
by spreading hate speech and inciting people to commit such crimes.
But it can also curb messages of intolerance, hatred, and violence.
The new Framework provides analytical tools for detecting early
warning signs through the examination of the socio-economic
conditions affecting young people.
Lastly, empowerment.
Sometimes the problem is not the message but the messenger.
Empowerment of youth and youth-oriented organizations is essential to
promoting positive role models, responding to violence, and
delegitimizing extremist messages. And a priority should be placed on
empowering those 600 million young women.
Mr.
President,
It is in this light that Italy proudly supports
the “Change the World Model United Nations.” Every year our
Mission organizes a public event that brings together young people
from all over the world to discuss the three main pillars of the UN:
international peace and security; human rights; and development. One
month ago, more than 1500 young people from over 90 countries met at
the General Assembly to discuss how to make the world a safer, better
place. By promoting this event, we are planting a seed for the
future. It is up to us to assure that this seed has the proper
international environment in which to grow and develop. Thank you.
Speech of the Italian Minister of
Environment, Stefania Prestigiacomo, at the High Level Plenary
Session on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) in the General
Assembly (September 24, 2010) [Photogallery]
President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellencies
Dear
Colleagues
Five years ago in Mauritius the international community
made a number of commitments for meeting the sustainable development
goals and priorities of the Barbados Programme of Action, recognizing
that the sustainable development must be a national responsibility of
SIDS and the international community must provide financial and
technical support for the success of the Strategy
The present
review shows that these commitments have been, to some extent,
fulfilled, compatibly with constrains deriving from global crisis
such as the economic, energy and food crisis, which have had and
continue to have serious implications for geographically isolated
SIDS.
Very positive results have indeed been achieved in all
regions. Most SIDS have substantially increased the political
commitments to sustainable development as well as public awareness on
their importance. They have made considerable efforts to integrate
sustainable development principles into national development and
sectorial strategies.
Most SIDS have adopted policies for climate
change mitigation and adaptation, which in some cases include the
achievement of the carbon neutrality objective, and envisage a robust
promotion of renewable energy. SIDS have also shown strong leadership
in the area of protection of biodiversity, and achieved significant
results in establishing protected marine, coastal and terrestrial
areas.
In addition, the present review has shown that progress,
although uneven within SIDS, has also been made in the areas of
gender, health, and education, as well as towards the achievement of
environmental sustainability. We commend in particular the progress
made in most regions for creating an enabling regional institutional
framework, aimed at maximizing the national efforts in key areas,
such as the containment of the climate change threat and the
prevention and management of risks inherent natural disasters.
In
terms of financing, the review has shown that, while on the one side
most SIDS have indeed used their own resources in the implementation
of the Mauritius Strategy, on the other, the international community
has played an important role in support of these efforts by providing
financing and technical assistance in key strategic areas.
Much
however, remains to be done. The review has clearly demonstrated that
in spite of the great efforts made, the results achieved are limited
with respect to expectations. The global crisis of the last five
years have greatly contributed to the erosion of progress made.
Climate change adaptation and sea level rise remain one of the
greatest challenges to SIDS, a threat to their very existence.
Italy has long been aware of the indisputable injustice inherent
the fact that the Island States contribute the least to the global
Climate Change, yet are affected the most by its negative
consequences.
For this reason we have concentrated our commitment
towards the SIDS sustainable development in the area of climate
change and related sectors. Italy has in fact supported a number of
key initiatives, such as the establishment of the Caribbean Community
Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). The Centre has become a leading
enabling regional institution and has laid the ground for a regional
strategic approach to climate change. Rising sea levels, together
with the associated coastal erosion and salt water intrusion, an
escalation in the frequency and intensity of tropical storms and
hurricanes, and disruptions in rainfall and fresh-water supply,
threaten the very existence of the CARICOM countries. Our hope is of
course that the lessons learnt from the establishment of the Centre
and from the concrete actions taken by this institution will be
treasured by other regions seeking to maximize the impact of scarce
national resources and to streamline the search for a solution to
common threats.
In addition, while the international community is
still debating on the shape of the global agreement that will ensure
equitable participation of all in addressing Climate Change
mitigation, Italy has started actions supporting a programme in the
Pacific region that stands out as a pragmatic attempt to address the
adaptation urgency and search for practical solutions to the great
challenge of this century.
The Cooperation Programme on
climate change and renewable energy between Italy, Austria, the
Municipality of Milan and the Pacific SIDS has become, after only
three years of implementation, a successful model for international
cooperation.
The programme is ongoing, thus the lessons generated
so far are preliminary. Nevertheless, some important conclusions can
already be drawn. We believe that the success of the programme is
basically due to the strict application of the ownership principle,
according to which the development strategy remains in the hands of
national governments. Within the general goal of adaptation to
Climate Change and development of renewable energy, each
participating SIDS has established the priorities needed to build
resilience vis-a-vis its own perception of national and local
vulnerability. These priorities derive from the sustainable
development policies and strategies established by the Pacific SIDS
and are fully taken on board by the cooperation programme which has
been able to focus, since its inception, on the achievement of
measurable, concrete results.
Italy will continue to be committed
to the sustainable development of SIDS. We will spare no effort to
ensure that the positive lessons that can be drawn from the success
stories of the Italian programme can be repeated and strengthened by
other bilateral and multilateral organizations, seeking to maximize
the impact of international aid programmes.
Thank you Mr. President.
