The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado, took the floor today during the Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s annual report, in the framework of the 50th session of the Human Rights Council.
“Last June 2nd, Italy celebrated the 76th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. Only a few days before, on May 20th, the Ministerial Meeting in Turin marked the end of the Italian semester of Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Italian Presidency served as a further testimony to our commitment to multilateralism, which is rooted in the Constitution of the Italian Republic”, Ambassador Cornado stated, recalling that Italy exercised its Presidency in an inclusive and participatory manner, with a result-oriented approach and with the aim of preserving the Organisation’s role in the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the face of current and future challenges. He underlined that “The decisions that were taken at the Ministerial Meeting in Turin stand out as a clear reaffirmation of a strong political commitment of all 46 Member States to the principles and values of the Council of Europe”.
Furthermore Ambassador Cornado stressed that Italy’s engagement in the Council of Europe and in the Human Rights Council stems from the same set of priorities, recalling that promoting women’s and girls’ rights and female empowerment as well as the rights of children, alongside the fight against all forms of discrimination, were among the top priorities of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and continue to drive our activities also in the Human Rights Council.
“Considering also the special attention this Council will devote to gender-related issues during its 50th Session, we seize this occasion to reaffirm our full commitment to the protection and promotion of all human rights of women and girls and call for an enhanced effort to address all forms of discrimination and gender-based violence, including harmful practices”, concluded Ambassador Cornado.
Read the full statement here.
