Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament, addressed a plenary meeting this morning focusing on Item 6, “Comprehensive Programme of Disarmament.” He emphasized Italy’s dedication to disarmament education, highlighting key initiatives and contributions. ‘’In line with the UN Secretary General’s 2018 ‘Agenda for Disarmament’, Italy believes that disarmament education fosters a culture of peace and non-violence” stated Ambassador Bencini. As G7 President this year, Italy has placed particular emphasis on this area.
The Ambassador detailed Italy’s commitment to initiatives such as the Young Women Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) to promote youth and gender equality in disarmament, the “Women in AI Fellowship,” and the “Early Career African Women in Science Fellowship” at the ICGEB to enhance the Biological Weapons Convention. He also noted Italy’s long-standing support for young scholars joining the United Nations :‘’Since the mid-1970, Italy has sponsored approximately 2000 positions within the Junior Professional Officers Program (JPO)’’. The statement is available at the following link and audio.
