Discorso pronunciato dall’Ambasciatrice Mariangela Zappia, Rappresentante Permanente dell’Italia presso le Nazioni Unite, alla Riunione Plenaria dell’Assemblea Generale sul “Thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child”. —
Mr. President,
Italy welcomes this High-level meeting of the General Assembly, which allows us to focus on the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We were proud to join the Voluntary Global Pledge that reaffirmed our collective commitment to a full and effective implementation of the Convention.
Italy has been a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1991, ensuring its adhesion also to the related additional protocols. In 2012 we ratified the Council of Europe’s Convention on the protection of children against exploitation and sexual abuse. In 2017, during our last term in the Security Council, we promoted the adoption of resolution 2388 against trafficking in persons, which specifically addressed the issue of the protection of minors. The rights of Children in Armed Conflict are also a priority for us, and we fully support the mandates of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children and of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflicts.
Mr. President,
the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is one of the underlying objectives of our international cooperation activities. Children’s care and development inspire many of our interventions in the areas of health, education and social inclusion. We invest in programmes that look at the broader spectrum of child’s development, aiming to improve the living conditions of children, better protect them against any form of abuse, and increase their access to early childhood care, education and development, while supporting the wellness of their mothers, from pregnancy to motherhood.
Italy is an engaged donor and partner, both at bilateral and multilateral levels. We remain committed to supporting key UN Development System partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA, the WFP and other children-driven programs.
Mr. President,
thirty years ago, building on the unique momentum created by the Convention, and convinced of the need to accelerate its implementation, Italy offered to constitute the first “International Child Development Centre” devoted to research and solutions for children. Since then, Italy has hosted and constantly funded the “UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti” in Florence, which has the mandate to contribute to an “emerging global ethics for children”. The Center is located in a 600-year old structure historically devoted to children care – the “Spedale degli Innocenti” – which is considered the “oldest continuously operating children’s care institution in the world”.
This year, Italy devoted additional resources to highlight the role of the Center on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I would mention the “UNICEF-Innocenti Film Festival”, the first international film festival entirely dedicated to the representation of childhood in the world, with a special focus on the Global South; and the inauguration of a Conference series entitled “the Leading Minds for Children and Young People”, with the participation of high level speakers from Governments, International Organizations, the Academia and the Private Sector.
Mr. President,
Italy is aware that much more needs to be done and stands ready to live up to this challenge. We are fully committed to continue and intensify our efforts, in cooperation with the other Member States and the UN System, to help children enjoy their childhood within peaceful and inclusive societies.
I thank you.
