Italy at the UN expresses its unwavering support for UNHCR

(ANSA) - GINEVRA, 16 OTT - Italy today expressed in Geneva "its unwavering support for UNHCR", the UN refugee agency - which, "through its 'panoramic' approach, provides protection and assistance to forcibly displaced persons around the world". Speaking during the general debate of the 75th session of the Executive Committee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Italy's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi, also reiterated Italy's frontline commitment to receiving asylum seekers and refugees and protecting their rights.
    Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi - reports a note from the Representation - emphasised that international cooperation is fundamental in finding solutions to the issue of forced displacement.
    The Italian Permanent Representative then drew attention to the alarming number of ongoing emergencies and protracted crises, such as in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar, Syria and Afghanistan, with catastrophic humanitarian consequences. "The human cost of war continues to rise in Lebanon, Gaza and the Middle East region as a whole, causing immense suffering and forced displacement for millions of people," he said. He praised humanitarian workers on the ground, including the staff of UNHCR and its partners, and urged all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law, which are constantly violated with impunity.
    The ambassador then recalled the 70th anniversary of Italy's ratification of the Geneva Convention on Refugee Status, which also marked the beginning of the partnership with UNHCR. "President Mattarella's visit to Unhcr's Geneva headquarters, the participation of High Commissioner Filippo Grandi in several G7 ministerial meetings as well as in other Italian initiatives such as the "Rome Process" and the implementation of the "Mattei Plan" for Africa, confirm Italy's commitment to work alongside Unhcr for the protection of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons, in a spirit of solidarity and sharing of burdens and responsibilities." Amb. Grassi went on to point out that in the current year, Italy has contributed a total of USD 42 million to the UNHCR budget, and praised the solidarity of the Italian population, which has made it possible to raise some USD 14 million.
    Italy,' the note continues, 'also welcomed the agency's new approach to sustainable programming, which promotes inclusion, self-reliance and resilience of displaced persons and host communities, and expressed appreciation for the coordination between UNHCR and IOM, which has adopted a rights-based and route-based approach. Italy's national migration and asylum policies will continue to implement this approach, in line with the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, he added.
    The Italian intervention - reports the note - was particularly appreciated, among others, also by UNHCR's Special Envoy for the Central and Western Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, who mentioned Italy as one of the few countries committed to a concrete fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking through a greater involvement in offering complementary routes to migration.