Vice Minister Emanuela Del Re attended the ministerial meeting on “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P), held in the margins of the 75th United Nations General Assembly. The meeting is particularly relevant in light of the 15th anniversary of the R2P principles, which were first formulated at the 2005 UN World Summit.
As the Vice Minister stressed in her speech, the anniversary provides an opportunity to give impetus to the advancement and implementation of the R2P agenda. “Preserving the principle of universal human rights will be the real challenge of the 21st century,” she continued, “as conflicts continue to rage around the world, we continue to see widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law disproportionately affecting civilians, while Covid-19 epidemic has exacerbated the suffering of people living in conflict zones.”
“This is why the advancement of R2P principles is of the utmost importance. Atrocities can and must be prevented.” – VM Del Re stated – “In this sense, local actors could play a key role in preventing atrocities. We must strengthen civil society and recognise the fundamental role of women in building pluralistic and inclusive societies, providing the best safety net that protects against mass atrocities”.
“Italy is a strong supporter of R2P, also demonstrated by our financial support of the Office for the Prevention of Genocide and Responsibility for Protection. You can be sure that you can count on our tireless efforts to support the Responsibility to Protect.” – she concluded.
