Distinguished Executive Director,
We would like to thank you for your exhaustive presentation and for offering us the chance to engage in this dialogue and reiterate our appreciation for the work and mandate of UNFPA and its staff and the common priorities we uphold.
The protection of women and girls from all forms of violence and harmful practices, together with the promotion of maternal health, stand high on that list.
Italy has recently reconfirmed its support to the Joint Program for ending Female Genital Mutilations and calls for the increase of our collective support to this long-standing program that has proven to be effective in working in close collaboration with governments and partners across all levels and sectors.
We commend UNFPA humanitarian action in the most challenging emergency settings and the efforts deployed at the country level in a context of decreasing resources. We support interventions based on strengthened inter-agency cooperation and integration and a more structural engagement with and of the private sectors, to mobilize additional resources and accelerate results.
Italy also attaches great importance to UNFPA’s work on population dynamics and demographic change. We welcome the integration of this dimension as a dedicated outcome of the Strategic Plan, equipping countries with the data and analysis they need to anticipate and navigate demographic shifts. As you recalled this morning, there are realities that need to be understood.
Madam Executive Director,
Italy is deeply committed to a multilateral system that delivers where it matters most: on the ground and close to people in need.
UNFPA is a crucial agent of this effort and we appreciate your steadfast leadership in steering the Program’s response to new priorities and persistent challenges.
In the context of UN80, we are driven by the objective to serve better. We remain committed to preserving the UN development mandates and make them more impactful. We also pursue a UN development system that is forward looking and more interconnected and agile to deliver the actual change we need, in the lives and the well-being of women and girls on the ground.
In all these areas, you can count on Italy’s continued commitment, engagement and support.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
