Activities of Secretary-General in Italy, 14-17 October

Upon arrival on Thursday morning, the Secretary-General addressed a joint meeting of the Chamber of Senate and Deputies in a special session to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Italy’s membership in the United Nations.

At the Palazzo Montecitorio, which houses the Parliament, the Secretary-General was met by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, and the President of the Senate, Pietro Grasso.

Speaking to the assembled legislators, Mr. Ban saluted Italy’s strong, courageous and compassionate response to Europe’s largest refugee and migrant crisis since the end of the Second World War.  He stressed that refugee resettlement is a global responsibility.  “Proximity does not equal final responsibility,” the Secretary-General told the lawmakers.  While refugees do have special protection under international law, he recalled, all migrants must have human rights protection.  There are not two kinds of people, he said, deserving and undeserving.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17225.)

The Secretary-General also called on Italy to take the lead on the bold agenda against poverty that was adopted in New York during the General Assembly.  Also present in the hall was the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella.

Following the speech, the Secretary-General, accompanied by Madam Ban, was joined by the President of the Republic as well as the leaders of both houses of Parliament for a visit of an exhibit focusing on Italy’s fifty year membership in the United Nations.

Immediately afterwards, the Secretary-General and his delegation were hosted to lunch by Ms. Boldrini.

Later that afternoon, the Secretary-General had a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni.  The Secretary-General thanked the Foreign Minister for Italy’s active support of the work of his Special Representative for Libya, Bernardino Leόn.  They also discussed the current refugee and migrant crisis in Europe.  The Secretary-General also encouraged Italy to be represented at the highest level at the Humanitarian Summit to be hosted in Istanbul in 2016.

While in Rome, the Secretary-General also met with his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Office in Libya, Bernardino Leόn, who briefed him on the latest political situation in the country.

The Secretary-General departed Rome for Turin in the late afternoon.

That evening, he attended an official dinner hosted by Piero Fassino, the Mayor of Turin.

On Friday morning, the Secretary-General delivered the keynote address at the third World Forum of Local Economic Development.  He told the delegates representing national and local authorities, as well as academia and the business community, that while the world is indeed becoming more globalized, “we know that the global goals for sustainable development will only be achieved if there are the right local environment and solutions”.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17233.)

To ensure a life of dignity for all, Mr. Ban said that local leaders were responding and that he had seen it directly around the world, from health clinics in small villages to local energy plants offering low-carbon solutions.  He encouraged local leaders to become active participants in the 2030 Agenda, making a specific request for their communities to participate actively in voluntary national and subnational reviews.

From Turin, the Secretary-General and his delegation travelled by a special high-speed train provided by the Italian Railway Company to the Milan World Expo.

Upon arrival at the Expo, the Secretary-General was joined by the Heads of the three Rome-based United Nations agencies — José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Ertharin Cousin, Executive-Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); and Kanayo Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The Secretary-General then attended the opening ceremony marking World Food Day at the Milan Expo, which was attended by the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as the Heads of the three Rome-based United Nations food agencies.

The Secretary-General, in his remarks, stressed the link between sustainable development and food.  “We will never realize our vision for sustainable development without rapid progress toward ending hunger and undernutrition,” Mr. Ban said.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17234.)

He encouraged everyone to redouble their effort and participate in the Zero Hunger Challenge.  “We need all partners in this campaign,” the Secretary-General said, “fashion experts and diplomats, rock stars and athletes, global world leaders and city mayors.  Most of all, we need local communities.”

In the end, the Secretary-General said:  “Hunger is more than a lack of food — it is a terrible injustice.”

While at the Expo, the Secretary-General met with President Mattarella.  During their meeting, the Secretary-General praised the many contributions of Italy on the international agenda, including the Milan Expo, which focused on ending hunger.  The Secretary-General and the President discussed also some of the major crises around the world, particularly Libya.

That afternoon, the Secretary-General delivered an address at a “Finance for Food” event organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, attended by the President of Italian.

In his speech, the Secretary-General stressed that agriculture was essential to making progress across the new Sustainable Development Goals, from food security to climate change and women’s empowerment.  But more finances had to be mobilized for inclusive investments in agriculture to ensure lasting and sustainable benefits, he added.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17237.)

The Secretary-General said that he was often asked if the world had the resources to carry out the 2030 Agenda.  The answer, he said, was clear:  “I ask leaders how they explain having enough money to destroy people and the planet instead of protecting them.”

The Secretary-General and Madam Ban then toured a number of other pavilions at the expo.  Later on Friday afternoon, he took part in a live Italian television broadcast focusing on the Zero Hunger Challenge.

The Secretary-General remained in Milan overnight and travelled to Rome the following day to visit a refugee reception centre.

The centre, called Tenda di Abramo, is located in the historical building known as Palazzo Leopardi in the heart of Rome.  The location of the centre was guided by the conviction that refugees and migrants must be welcomed in the heart of the city.  The centre, run by the Community of Sant’Egidio, can host a maximum of 80 persons, and since 2003, it has hosted over 4,500 people.

In remarks to the press after his visit, Mr. Ban said how saddened he was, but that he was also heartened by the stories the refugees had told him.  He said it was important to give them “life-saving support:  education, sanitation […] basic necessities”.  On the challenges being faced by European countries, he said that while he appreciated those challenges, “this is not a crisis of numbers […] this is a crisis of global solidarity.”

He departed Rome for Slovakia on Saturday afternoon, 17 October.