Italy, 2011

Italy has a long tradition of

mediation that has shaped our history and our approach

to international affairs. In the celebrations of the

150th anniversary of Italian unification this year, we

commemorated the vision of the founding fathers of

our nation and the sacrifices of so many patriots. We

also recalled the role of mediation in bridging the gap

between the aspirations for independence and the

reality of foreign occupation.

A century or so after unification, our vocation for

mediation was fulfilled when we were among the first

countries to launch the process of European

pacification. We helped restore peace and prosperity to

a war-torn continent by engaging Governments in

dialogue rather than disputes.

Our attitude to mediation is inspired by both our

history and our geography. Our territory is located

right at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, making us

keenly aware that our security is not independent of

that of the region surrounding us.

For decades, Italy has emphasized the need to

bridge the economic and social gap between the

conditions of the northern shores of the Mediterranean

and the expectations of our neighbours to the south.

Despite this vision, we tended to overlook the

aspirations for civil and political rights of the peoples

of North Africa and the Middle East, peoples so close

to us geographically but far apart in terms of the rights

enjoyed by our citizens.

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On the face of it, the approach favoured by

European and the other Western countries — including

the United States — was to forge partnerships with

undemocratic regimes and place a priority on security,

counter-terrorism cooperation and migration policy. We

made a mistake.

The Arab Spring was a wake-up call, reminding

us that no political leader can maintain power at the

expense of his or her own people. It confirmed the

principle that there can be no mediation or compromise

where fundamental rights are concerned. And it

showed that cooperation for the sake of security and

stability is no alternative to promoting freedom,

economic and democratic growth and job creation.

Our response to the uprisings was consistent with

our values. We called for dialogue and deplored the use

of force against civilians. That was not enough in

Libya, however, where the regime had vowed to

slaughter its own civilians. The only way to prevent a

massacre was for the international community to

invoke the principle of the responsibility to protect.

By helping to implement that decision in military,

diplomatic and humanitarian terms, we shifted from a

culture of sovereign impunity to one of responsible

sovereignty, rooted in national and international

accountability for the most serious violations of human

rights. At the same time, we supported international

sanctions against the Syrian leadership.

The uprisings in North Africa and in the Middle

East send a message that the United Nations can do

more and do better. Let me be very clear. We do not

want less United Nations involvement; we want more.

Libya can be the first test case for a more prominent

United Nations role.

The United Nations is called upon to coordinate

and lead the international community’s assistance to

that country. The international community should

maintain cohesion and unity of purpose, avoid a

fragmented response and resist engaging in a first-past-

the-post logic. There should be no competition,

because there is only one winner: the Libyan people.

The United Nations should therefore chair the

international coordination mechanisms, with the

support of the relevant regional organizations, such as

the League of Arab States, the African Union and the

European Union (EU). At this juncture we need to

prevent resentment and extremism from gaining

ground.

We are ready to build respectful new partnerships

without imposing pre-packaged models. That is why

we have promoted the idea of a new Mediterranean

plan for growth and development. And we have

proposed a permanent conference on security and

cooperation, with the goal of building an inclusive

dialogue among equals on political, economic and

cultural issues. If we fail to respond, and if the Arab

Spring does not produce results soon, we will all have

a heavy price to pay.

Never has mediation been more necessary in the

tense stand-off between the Israelis and the

Palestinians. Confrontation has led nowhere. The time

has come to defuse this long-standing and disruptive

conflict through recourse to dialogue and the building

of mutual trust. We continue to strongly back American

efforts, and we welcome the Quartet’s new effort to

gather the necessary support to restart the negotiations

between the parties towards the creation, very soon, of

a strong and safe Palestinian State.

Within the European Union, which has to speak

with one voice, Italy is also ready to exercise more

leadership and political vision in relaunching the peace

process.

In Lebanon, Italy is playing a prominent role in

mediation. The Italian contingent in the United Nations

Interim Force in Lebanon was awarded the United

Nations peace medal for its contribution to maintaining

peace and stability in the country. This prize honours

the achievements of our soldiers in Lebanon, but also

the commitment of the Italian Government to

peacekeeping.

Italy is the sixth top contributor to the United

Nations peacekeeping operations budget and, since

2006, the top EU and Western European and Others

Group contributor of troops to the United Nations.

In Africa far too many people are still grappling

with the serious problems caused by regional conflicts.

Those conflicts undermine stability and prosperity for

millions of people, spreading the poisonous seed of

terrorism and piracy.

As a witness to the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement (CPA) between North and South Sudan,

Italy welcomed the Agreement’s implementation,

which has led to the birth of the new State of South

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Sudan. This achievement should be an incentive to

settle the post-CPA arrangements without further delay.

In the Horn of Africa, Italy has a traditional

commitment to contributing to peace, security and

development. In the past few months, we have financed

projects in many sectors: health, education, nutrition,

training, governance support, peace and security. But

our assistance is not enough. In Somalia people are

facing starvation and humanitarian disaster.

International support must be stepped up to deliver

basic services to the population and foster political

reconciliation.

The United Nations collective security system is

adapting its structure and practices to the new

challenges by making good and flexible use of its

fundamental, cost-effective tools. Mediation is one of

them. We are among the sponsors of the draft

resolution on strengthening the role of mediation in the

peaceful settlement of disputes.

We also encourage the United Nations to play a

more significant role in conflict prevention, the

settlement of disputes and peacebuilding efforts. To

that end, we rely on the impartiality and authority of

the Secretary-General. We commend him for his

leadership in crisis management, and encourage him in

this noble endeavour and in his commitment to

budgetary discipline.

We also commend all the efforts to promote a

strong solution to the reform of the Security Council, a

reform inspired by the United Nations core principles

of democracy, accountability, consensus and flexibility — a

reform that will gather the widest majority and with

which each and every Member State can identify.

Our humanistic heritage defines the human being

as the measure of all things. The principle of placing

people first underpins our active support for United

Nations campaigns on fundamental issues such as the

abolition of the death penalty, the protection of the

freedom of religion or belief and the ending of the

practice of female genital mutilation. The people-first

approach also entails mediation between the pressing

need for modernization and the goal of improving

individual quality of life.

We need to enhance food security by tackling the

crucial links between speculation, inflation of food

prices, and instability. We can count on the new bodies

created in the framework of the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations and the Rome-

based United Nations agencies to reduce food price

volatility and its very negative impact on the most

vulnerable people.

We also pay close attention to urban development

and environmental sustainability, promoting important

international events such as the World Urban Forum,

which will be held next year in Italy, and a world

conference on the topic of the inter-ethnic city.

In conclusion, Italy wants to place the rights of

human beings, and the environment in which we live,

at the centre of society. True to this principle, Italy

wants to help create and consolidate a modern

humanism. There could be no better defence against

the hatred and criminal intolerance that struck this city,

this country and the world 10 years ago.