Geneva, 11 February 2026
The Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Luigi Maria Vignali, and the Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, met today with an international group of students from the Rondine – Cittadella della Pace Association, coming from contexts of armed conflict and post-conflict situations, as part of the dialogue and training activities promoted by the Association, which in 2021 was granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
During the meeting, the role of Italy within the multilateral framework of the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva was outlined, spanning human rights, migration and humanitarian action, technological and scientific innovation, international trade, and global health issues. Particular emphasis was placed on Italy’s mandate as a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term, together with the main challenges currently shaping the international agenda.
With specific reference to the Conference on Disarmament, an overview was provided of its mandate, competencies and working methods, as well as of the issues currently under discussion in the areas of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.
The meeting and the many reflections offered by the Ambassadors fostered the students’ active participation and a lively direct exchange on the topics addressed, highlighting the importance of the perspectives of the younger generations in the ongoing effort to rethink a pragmatic and concrete multilateralism. In particular, Rondine’s young participants presented their commitment to the Leaders for Peace campaign, first introduced at the United Nations in 2018, which continues to bring the voice of young people to the attention of Governments, stressing the need to invest in training young people for peace leadership and to pursue sustained efforts to reduce armed conflicts worldwide.
