“The promotion of effective multilateralism centred on the role of the United Nations is one of the fundamental priorities of Italian foreign policy”. This was stated at the conference promoted by the University of Bari and by the SIOI to mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations by Deputy Foreign Minister Marina Sereni, who added: “We are aware of the difficulties that the multilateral method encounters today, but we remain convinced that it is the privileged tool for effectively tackling today’s complex global challenges”.
This year,” Sereni continued, “Italy holds the G20 Presidency. This is a fundamental opportunity to make our proactive contribution to a global response to the major challenges we are facing. For this reason, we support the reform of international institutions, including the one promoted by Secretary General Guterres to make the UN more efficient, transparent, democratic and representative. In particular, Italy has supported from the outset the ‘Action for Peacekeeping’ initiative, launched in 2018 to boost the image and effectiveness of peacekeeping, of which we are the seventh largest financial contributor. Our country – said the Deputy Minister – has taken part in 29 UN peacekeeping missions and is now the leading supplier of Blue Helmets among Western countries, with about 1,100 units deployed in 5 different missions. Within the framework of these missions, it is essential for Italy to guarantee the protection of civilians including children, the promotion of the role of women, the protection of cultural heritage and the reduction of environmental impact”.
“Fundamental – explained Sereni – is the collaboration with the EU in the framework of the Strategic Partnership for Crisis Management and Prevention, the partnership with NATO, as well as the trilateral cooperation between the UN, the European Union and the African Union, which we hope will be strengthened. The pandemic also demonstrated the crucial role of efficient global logistics and supply chains in crisis response. The Global Service Centre, hosted by Italy in Brindisi for over 25 years, is a UN structure of excellence, on which the entire logistics of UN Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions depend. Among the Italian humanitarian expeditions that have departed from the base,” concluded the Deputy Minister, “is the one for the Lebanese people following the tragic explosions in the port of Beirut last summer, and those to deal with the flooding emergency in Somalia or the health crisis in South Sudan. macos/deepLFree.translatedWithDeepL.text
