ROME, OCTOBER 26 – “If we turn to the United Nations to emphasize its limitations rather than its successes, we forget that the UN’s capacity depends on the willingness of its member states. According to Italy, it is therefore necessary to clearly state that the United Nations are and remain the most effective tool for resolving tensions, disputes, and difficulties. The UN should be strengthened in every possible way, even through reforms that ensure greater capacity and operational effectiveness,” said President Sergio Mattarella addressing at the Quirinal Palace past and current participants in the joint JPO (Junior Professional Officers) program established through an agreement between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations.
In the face of the spiral of violence engulfing the Middle East, with “unimaginable acts of brutality,” it is entirely incomprehensible to witness “this inability to engage and dialogue” and, at the same time, criticize the United Nations, which remains the main forum for multilateral dialogue, said the Italian Head of State, clearly concerned after the controversies that have engulfed the United Nations, its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and the Security Council for its inability to fulfill its mandate of safeguarding international peace and security.
The JPOs meeting President Mattarella will soon join the United Nations’ ranks for a two-year period after passing the selections of the program. After speeches by Maria Francesca Spatolisano, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Dr. Claudia Marotta, President Mattarella delivered his address.
Returning to what is happening in the Middle East, according to the President, “there is a recourse to violence of unprecedented proportions,” and there is a challenge that “absolutely requires international cooperation with vigor.” Multilateralism – as the Constitution also provides limitations on sovereignty – has been the path chosen by the Republic since its inception. Mattarella argued that there is no solution beyond the “Two peoples, two states” that seems to be sinking due to the shock caused by Hamas’s attack in Israel. But the problem is broader and deeper: “In the Middle East, there is a resort to violence of unprecedented dimensions. Unimaginable acts of brutality have been witnessed. There is a spiral of violence whose effects have a dramatically broad impact on many.” (@OnuItalia)
