Courtesy translation
Madam Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Madam Director-General of the International Development Law Organization,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am indeed very happy to open this working session of the Conference on “Peace, Justice,and Institutions for Sustainable Development” dedicated to Goal 16 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
I would firstly like to thank the Representatives of the UN and of the International Development Law Organization for their work to organize this event which is being held in New York for the first time after the preceding editions hosted in Italy.
Allow me to extend a greeting to all the participants, the representatives of governments and of international organizations, of judicial institutions, universities, and of civil society, especially youths and women committed to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, equitable justice systems and effective, accountable, and transparent institutions.
Peace, inclusion, and justice are the irreplaceable pillars in the sustainable development of any Country and any society and let me underscore the fact that they are also the founding principles of Italy’s constitutional order.
The existence of a system of legal protection measures and guarantees is the precondition to enjoying individual rights and, more specifically, for human development, intended in its loftiest sense.
These are the founding principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter itself which, in its preamble, sets forth the commitment “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda, with its Sustainable Development Goals, has the merit of having laid down a tangible horizon for their achievement, by outlining a roadmap that all Member States have committed to follow in the interest of the people which, first and foremost, starts with the conservation of the planet, the place that they inhabit.
Having now reached the second phase of the Agenda’s implementation plan, it seems essential to decidedly step up the achievement of our common goals, as we reaffirmed at the last UN Summit on this subject last September.
Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a scenario that is more complex than we could have imagined a short while ago.
The worsening negative effects of climate change are heightened by the proliferation of dramatic conflicts that distract attention from the commitment to give priority to that Agenda.
The consequences are disastrous: at the current state of affairs, only a very small number of the goals of the 2030 Agenda are deemed to be achievable within the timeframe indicated.
The work of this preparatory Conference will be as valuable as it was in the previous editions held in Rome, especially in view of the “Summit for the Future” scheduled for next September.
The legal framework encompassing the capacity to achieve the Agenda’s Goals is an essential instrument.
Exclusively confiding in the goodwill of the actors in play has often revealed to be deceptive.
This is why Goal 16, which is the focus of today’s meeting, constitutes -and entails – an unskippable step.
As a matter of fact, how could we ever speak of peace as development without upholding the rights of people and populations?
How could we ever do it without enforcing, in conflicts, the application of the principles of humanitarian law enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and currently openly violated?
How could we ever do it without putting into play provisions and initiatives to safeguard the condition of women and to protect against violence on children and women, their exploitation by organized crime, and the marginalization of disabled persons?
These issues closely concern Institutions and the administration of justice.
We must put an end to the insecurity affecting too many people and populations.
In this respect, we feel particularly honored to have submitted, a bit over a month ago, and obtained the approval of the General Assembly of a Resolution that, twenty-four years after the Palermo Convention, while commemorating the figure of Giovanni Falcone, declared the 15th of November of every year “International Day for the Prevention and the FightAgainst all Forms of Transnational Organized Crime”.
The stability of States themselves, the enforcement of the Rule of Law, are too often challenged by these pervasive forms of crime.
If these are deemed to be issues of particular urgency, the prospect towards which we are heading is to make our societies more cohesive and equitable, giving more leeway to the civil and political participation of all segments of society by making Institutions more inclusive and representative at all levels, thus ultimately consolidating the “social contract” between peoples and Institutions.
These are the essential conditions for human development, which are unfortunately weak or absent in many parts of the world.
This is another reason why Italy is resolutely committed to promote the implementation of this Goal and, to this end, to cooperate with organizations like IDLO, which we host in Rome.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the destinies of peace and development are interwoven.
The one cannot exist without the other.
We are living in a period with the largest number of conflicts since the end of World War II, which gobble up enormous resources into the arms race, deallocating them from development.
The call to build the conditions needed for peace and to put an end to conflicts could not be more necessary or pressing.
Today we are faced with a further danger that undermines the relationship of trust with Institutions and between Countries: disinformation.
Last Friday marked World Press Freedom Day which every year cautions on the value of the freedom of information in the observance of democracy.
Themes such as access to information, freedom of expression, and the protection of the right to privacy are rightly included in the aims of Goal 16, which is the focus of our discussion.
We must work with and within the United Nations to rebuild trust between Nations, strengthen international cooperation and establish new networks based on understanding and collaboration.
This is the approach underlying Italy’s action, which is resolutely determined to support the instruments of dialogue based on the principle of multilateralism that is currently challenged by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and by the consequences of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We cannot continue to dawdle in relationships between Countries based on 19th century visions and legacies, and on the struggle for power.
The call forcefully comes from our citizens, our youths, and women, who ask for a future based on the Goals outlined by the 2030 Agenda.
It is with these considerations in mind that I wish you all a successful working session.
