BRINDISI, DECEMBER 19 – According to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, “the presence of the United Nations in Italy is unique in the world. We are in Brindisi, we are in Rome, we are in Florence, we are in Torino, we are in Trieste, we are in Perugia, we are in Venice. And this is only possible thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the Italian government and the very strong commitment of Italy towards the UN, and towards multilateralism. Italy became a very important pillar of multilateralism in a world where global challenges more and more request multilateral responses and where, unfortunately, many are yet fighting multilateralism without having anything else to offer”, Guterres said during a press encounter today in Brindisi for the 25th anniversary of the UN Global Service Center.
Accompanied by the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Luigi Di Maio, the UN chief visited the Center which he described as “a real hub for new generation technologies”. Guterres expressed his deep gratitude to the people of Brindisi for their warm hospitality, and to the Mayor, the Prefect and all the other local authorities.
“Some people claim that the United Nations can’t offer effective solutions to the complex challenges of today’s world, but we are against this vision and against the idea that conflicts can be solved with the use of force”, said Di Maio confirming that Italy is working towards the goal of opening two ‘United nation technology innovation labs’ (UNTIL) anchored in the UN hubs of Brindisi and Turin: “They could became effective incubators dog innovative ideas and technologies by putting together s a system United Nations, provate sector, Universities and the civil society”.
“Today – said Di Maio – is an important moment for Italy and the United Nations because we celebrate the first 25 years of a logistical base whose structures are key to convey assistance all’over the Mediterranean and beyond”. Guterres stressed that the United Nations partnership with Italy goes beyond Italian borders: “More than 1,000 Italian soldiers are peacekeepers in Lebanon, in very complex situations. Italy will be one of the key countries, together with the UK, in the COP26. We have lost a battle in the COP25 in Madrid, but we must win the war. We need to defeat climate change, which is the most dramatic challenge for the world today, and I count on Italian’s leadership in this regard”. (@OnuItalia)
