UNIDIR GLOBAL CONFERENCE: REAFFIRMING MULTILATERALISM AND TRUST IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics, organised by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Institute (UNIDIR), closed on 28 March. The event brought together academics, civil society and industry representatives to address issues related to the governance of artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on its implications in the fields of security […]
Read moreSTATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR LEONARDO BENCINI AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION
The commemorative event for the 50th anniversary of the entry into force of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was held today in Geneva. The event – opened by UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, and supported by the European Union – was attended by diplomats and experts from the world […]
Read moreINITIATIVE IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE AT THE MARGINS OF THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
At the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament, numerous delegations, including the Italian one, wished to reaffirm their countries’ full support for Ukraine, which has been subjected to a brutal and unjustified armed aggression by the Russian Federation for three years now. Simultaneously with the statement of the Russian delegate, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey […]
Read moreSTATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR LEONARDO BENCINI AT THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
To strongly reaffirm Italy’s commitment to the multilateral system and the disarmament architecture, particularly at a time of major uncertainties. This was the main message that the Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament, Amb. Leonardo Bencini, delivered on the occasion of his national statement at the high-level segment of the Conference on […]
Read moreAGREEMENT UNDER ITALIAN PRESIDENCY ON WORK PROGRAM FOR THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
At its meeting today, the Conference on Disarmament (CD), under the chairmanship of Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, Permanent Representative of Italy to this body, approved after intense negotiations the work program for 2025. With this decision, adopted by consensus, five subsidiary bodies are established to discuss a range of issues including the cessation of a nuclear […]
Read moreITALY ASSUMING THE PRESIDENCY OF THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
The 2025 session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) began this morning under the presidency of Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament. After eleven years, Italy is again leading the main disarmament body by virtue of a monthly rotation mechanism among the 65 CD member States. Italy’s presidency comes […]
Read moreFifth session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) (2-13 December)
The Fifth session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), established by the Ninth Review Conference chaired in 2022 by Ambassador Leonardo Bencini, is taking place in Geneva. Among the topics discussed during the session, a particular focus was given to the establishment of two mechanisms dedicated respectively to […]
Read moreMeeting of the P6+2 group with Director-General Valovaya
This morning Ambassador Leonardo Bencini met Tatyana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG), together with the Ambassadors of the P6+2 Group, that includes the six 2025 presidencies of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) plus the last one of 2024 e the first one of 2026. The P6+2 group ensures the continuity […]
Read moreFifth Review Conference of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (Siem Reap, 25-29 November)
The fifth Review Conference of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) was held from 25 to 29 November in Siem Reap, Cambodia, under the Presidency of the Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Clearance Authority, Ly Thuch. The Conference represented an opportunity to assess the implementation of the provisions of the Convention in […]
Read moreFifth Review Conference of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (Siem Reap, 25-29 November)
The fifth Review Conference of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) was held from 25 to 29 November in Siem Reap, Cambodia, under the Presidency of the Senior Minister and First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Clearance Authority, Ly Thuch. The Conference represented an opportunity to assess the implementation of the provisions of the Convention in […]
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