Category Archives: Human Rights

Italy’s Statement at the Debate on Social Development in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly

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NEW YORK, 69th SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THIRD COMMITTEE, FIRST MEETING ON ITEM 26 (SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT), 7 OCTOBER 2014.

On 7 October 2014, during the debate in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, Italy’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Lambertini, expressed the position of Italy on social development. After declaring that Italy aligned itself with the statement made by the European Union, Mr Lambertini addressed the issues of persons with disabilities, youth empowerment, rights of the elderly, gender equality, and role of families, including non-traditional couples, in the development process. He said:

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A Speech of the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Matteo Renzi, on the Death Penalty

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UN MEETING “MOVING AWAY FROM THE DEATH PENALTY: NATIONAL LEADERSHIP”, NEW YORK, 25 SEPTEMBER 2014.

On 25 September 2014, at a High-level event of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly organized by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights together with Italy and other three States, the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Matteo Renzi, delivered a speech on the death penalty and on the need to support a moratorium to stop it and eventually to abolish it. After mentioning Italy’s leading role in the abolitionist campaign (with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, having renounced to capital punishment already in 1786), he said that Italians

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Intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, at the event “Ending child marriage: towards a more gender equitable world”

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NEW YORK, 22 SEPTEMBER 2014

On 22 September 2014, on the sidelines of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Italy co-organised the event “Ending child marriage: towards a more gender equitable world”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, gave a speech in which she highlighted the importance of the direct involvement and ownership of countries affected, in particular in matters of education, in order to progressively eradicate this practice. She said:

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A Statement by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Angelino Alfano, on International Terrorism Motivated by Religion

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CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 286th MEETING, 9 SEPTEMBER 2014.

On 9 September 2014, on the occasion of an urgent speech at the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Angelino Alfano, commented on international terrorism motivated by religion. The Minister discussed the dangerous and aggressive nature of the Islamic State and addressed the phenomenon of foreign fighters.

The Minister stated:

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A Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, on the discussion within the Gymnich and the priorities of the Italian Presidency

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, VIII LEGISLATURE, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 2 SEPTEMBER 2014.

On 2 September 2014, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Federica Mogherini, delivered a speech before the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament concerning the conclusions of the last Gymnich and the priorities of the Italian Presidency of the EU. She focused the attention on some of the key topics, such as the threat coming from ISIS, the conflicts in the areas of Syria, Iraq and Gaza and the need to tackle those problems by means of a regional approach. As to the issue concerning Ukraine and Russia, after recalling the Council conclusions that envisage a new package of sanctions, she said:

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A Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, on the Recent Developments of the Situation in the Gaza Strip

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CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 274th MEETING, 29 JULY 2014.

On 29 July 2014, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, delivered a speech before the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament on the conflict between Hamas and Israel. After expressing sorrow, on behalf of the Italian Government and people, for the casualties suffered on both sides, she highlighted the complexity of the conflict. Thus, to avoid any oversimplification, she briefly illustrated the political context of the whole region, showing how much the situations of Syria, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon and Jordan are interrelated. Then, referring to the end of the “Skyes-Picot order”, she called all the Middle-Eastern actors to assume direct and shared responsibility in the regional politics, together with Italy and Europe. Pointing out that the conflict cannot be examined through biased eyes, and that the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians – respectively, to live in peace and security and to have a sovereign State – are legitimate, she added:

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A Statement at the Human Rights Council on Behalf of the EU on the Situation in the Gaza Strip

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HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, 21st SPECIAL SESSION, HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM, 23 JULY 2014.

On 23 July 2014, the Permanent Representative of Italy at the Human Rights Council, Amb. Maurizio Enrico Serra, expressed the position of the EU with respect to the Human Rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The statement took place in the context of a debate on Israel’s military operation ‘Protective Edge’, which has started on 7 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, and on the escalation of rocket fire against Israel. At the outset, Amb. Serra specified that the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Iceland, Serbia, Albania and Liechtenstein aligned themselves with his statement. 

He then stated: 

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A Statement of Italy on Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Assistance

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ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, 2014 SESSION OF THE HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS SEGMENT, 25 JUNE 2014.

On 25 June 2014, at the general debate of the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Italy delivered a national statement. After aligning itself with the one made by Greece on behalf of the European Union, Italy expressed its wish to add some remarks:

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A Statement by the Permanent Representative of Italy at the Human Rights Council on Italy’s Commitments in the Field of Human Rights

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HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, 26th SESSION, HIGH COMMISSIONER ANNUAL REPORT, 10 JUNE 2014.

On 10 June 2014, the Permanent Representative of Italy at the Human Rights Council, Amb. Maurizio Enrico Serra, delivered a speech on the priorities of Italy in the area of human rights protection, both within the Human Rights Council and the European Union, in view of the upcoming Italian Presidency of the EU Council. The Ambassador said that Italy is determined to fight against death penalty, female genital mutilations, forced child marriage and against serious violations of human rights taking place in countries such as Syria and South Sudan. He said:

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Some Remarks by the Italian Representative at the Human Rights Council on the Report on the Situation of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression in Italy

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HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, 26th SESSION, INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE PROMOTION OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND OPINION, 10 JUNE 2014.

On 29 April 2014, the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression published a report on the situation of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in Italy. In the report, he pointed out some concerns regarding the compliance of the national legal framework with the relevant international standards. On 10 June 2014, the Italian Representative considered some of the shortcomings mentioned in the report, e.g. the issues of defamation, conflict of interest, anti-trust regulation, and hate speech. He said:

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