New York, January 23, 2026
Today, January 23, just four days after taking up his post in New York, Italy’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Giorgio Marrapodi, officially presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
During the ceremony and the very cordial meeting with the Secretary-General that followed, Ambassador Marrapodi emphasized the renewed commitment to consolidating and further developing the excellent partnership between Italy and the United Nations in all areas of the Organization’s activities.
Secretary-General Guterres expressed his great appreciation for Italy’s contribution to the United Nations system and for our country’s effective action at the UN Headquarters and in the main multilateral and international fora.
Italy is the seventh largest contributor to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping budget as well as the tenth largest contributor to the UN system (assessed, voluntary and other contributions), and the largest contributor of peacekeepers among Western countries, particularly to UNIFIL. Our country hosts a considerable number of UN agencies and facilities, including the food hub in Rome (FAO, WFP, IFAD), the logistics center in Brindisi, and the Staff College in Turin.
During the meeting, Guterres also confirmed his intention to attend the inauguration of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games on February 6. Ambassador Marrapodi announced that Italy’s Mission will organize a live stream of the opening ceremony in the Delegates Lounge of the UN Headquarters to the benefit of UN members. On November 19, on Italy’s initiative, the Resolution on the Olympic Truce was approved by consensus and with 165 co-sponsors in the General Assembly.
At the credentials’ presentation ceremony, Ambassador Marrapodi was accompanied by his wife Loriana Fabian, Deputy Permanent Representative Gianluca Greco, and Sustainable Development Coordinator Daniela Tonon.
