VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGV #0115/01 0180643
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180643Z JAN 07
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2342
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1858
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 5632

UNCLAS GENEVA 000115 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS & IO/UNP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM UNHRC AORC UN IT
SUBJECT: ITALY CANDIDATURE - HRC 
 
 
¶1.  (U) U.S. Mission Geneva received a diplomatic note from the 
Permanent Mission of Italy requesting U.S. Government support for 
the Italian candidature to the Human Rights Council at elections to 
be held in the United Nations General Assembly in May 2007. 
 
¶2.  (U) Mission has responded that the information contained in the 
note has been forwarded to the appropriate authorities of the USG 
for their attention. 
 
¶3.  (U) A copy of the diplomatic note has been e-mailed to IO/UNP, 
IO-RHS, L-HRR. 
 
¶4.  (U) Begin text: 
Prot. 0-0078 
12 JAN 2007 
 
The Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations Office and 
other International Organizations in Geneva presents its compliments 
to the Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office and other 
International Organizations in Geneva and has the honour to inform 
that Italy has decided to present its candidature to the Human 
Rights Council for the three-year term 2007-2010 (elections to be 
held in May 2007). 
 
Resolution 251 of the General Assembly of 15 March 2006 has 
established the Human Rights Council, creating an historic 
opportunity to improve the effectiveness and strength of the human 
rights protection system within the United Nations. Italy believes 
that its membership in the Council will contribute to better respond 
to the Council's task of promoting universal respect for the 
protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, addressing 
violations and making recommendations according to the principles of 
universality, impartiality and objectivity through constructive 
international dialogue and cooperation. 
 
Human Rights in Italy and in Italian Foreign Policy 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
Italy has a long and rooted domestic tradition of respect and 
advancement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as proved by 
its history and its legal culture. Recent developments in the 
international debate confirm the increasing importance attached to 
the protection of human rights throughout the world, a key element 
in foreign policy for our country. Italy considers respect for human 
rights to be crucial to ensure peace, prevent conflict and foster 
the growth of stable societies worldwide: the focus of our 
international action lies therefore with the promotion of democracy 
and fundamental rights in multilateral fora, mainly within the 
United Nations. 
 
Promoting and protecting human rights throughout the world is 
therefore crucial to Italian foreign policy, as demonstrated by the 
very active role played by Italy as member of the previous 
Commission on Human Rights, where Italy has sat almost 
uninterruptedly since 1957, and during the negotiations which have 
finally led to the establishment of the new Human Rights Council. 
 
Italy and the United Nations 
---------------------------- 
Italy has decided to present its candidature to the Human Rights 
Council since it intends to keep playing a dynamic role in the field 
of the protection of Human Rights, by actively contributing to 
increase the effectiveness and coordination of the Council's 
actions. Italy believes that the United Nations is the principal 
forum of action in the sphere of human rights, and that the Human 
Rights Council can and must be the key player. As a member of the UN 
Peace building Commission, Italy will also support technical 
cooperation programmes in the field of the rule of law, aimed at 
fostering stable democratic societies. 
 
Italy has acquired consistent experience as a committed member of 
the Commission on Human Rights for several mandates, and has fully 
cooperated with the Commission's Special Procedures. In line with an 
EU decision, Italy has addressed the UN Special Rapporteurs an open 
invitation to visit the country and conduct their investigations at 
any time. Consequently, Italy has received the visit of the Special 
Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the independence of 
judges and lawyers, Param Cumaraswamy, in two occasions in 2002, the 
visit of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of 
the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, 
(October 2004), the visit of the Special Rapporteur on the right of 
migrants, Gabriela Rodriguez Pizarro (June 2004) and the visit of 
Italy the UN Special Rapporteur on racism and xenophobia, Doudou 
Diene (September 2006). 
 
 
International Framework for the protection of Human Rights in Italy 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
Italy adheres to six major UN Conventions for the promotion and 
protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and to most of 
their Optional Protocols. 
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1978) 
 
- Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights (1978) and the Second Optional Protocol to ICCPR 
(1995) 
 
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 
(1978) 
 
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
against Women (1985) 
 
- Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment (1989) 
 
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All 
Forms of Discrimination against Women (2000) 
 
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial 
Discrimination (1976) 
 
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1991) 
 
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 
the involvement of children in armed conflict (2002) 
 
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 
the sale of children child prostitution and child pornography 
(2002) 
 
In terms of monitoring of their implementation and cooperation with 
the Treaty Bodies, Italy has a very good record of returning 
national reports under UN Conventions in full and on time. 
 
Italy supports the International Criminal Tribunals and hosted in 
Rome in 1998 the United Nations conference which established the 
International Criminal Court - the so-called "Rome Statute". 
 
Moreover, Italy fully cooperates with the High Commissioner of Human 
Rights and its Office in an effective and fruitful way. 
 
At regional level, Italy is a member of the Council of Europe and 
OSCE, and it adheres to the European Convention on the safeguard of 
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and its additional Protocols. 
 
Italy traditionally supports all the initiatives in the framework of 
the European Union - monitoring, demarches, structured dialogues, 
technical cooperation, presentation of draft Resolutions and several 
others - aiming at the promotion and protection of human rights 
worldwide. On the initiative of the last Italian Presidency of the 
European Union, in December 2003 the EU adopted a set of Guidelines 
on children involved in armed conflicts and the 5th edition of the 
EU Forum on human rights was organized in Rome, on the issue of 
protection of children in international law. 
 
Italy devotes in fact special attention to specific issues in the 
field of human rights such as rights of the children, but also 
gender equality and rights of people with disabilities. Italy 
supports, among others, the UN bodies and agencies of UNDP, UNICEF, 
UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNIFEM, WHO and FAO, attributing particular 
importance to development cooperation and its link with basic 
rights. With specific reference to gender equality, for instance, 
the Italian development cooperation invests in programs of 
decentralised cooperation, which consist of starting and favouring 
interventions at local level for the empowerment of women along the 
lines of UN Agencies, aiming at the achievement of the Millennium 
Development Goals. 
 
In accordance with Resolution 251 of the General Assembly of 15 
March 2006, Italy submits hereby an Aide Memoire on a specific set 
of voluntary pledges and commitments it is ready to undertake, in 
order to further improve its long term commitment towards the 
promotion and protection of human rights. 
 
Italy would be most grateful for the support of United Nations 
member States for its candidature to the Human Rights Council. 
 
The Permanent Mission of Italy avails itself of this opportunity to 
renew to the Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office and 
other International Organizations in Geneva the assurances of its 
highest consideration. 
 
Geneva, 12 January 2007 
Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office and other 
International Organizations 
GENEVA 
 
Aide memoire 
 
ITALIAN CANDIDATURE TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 
 
Voluntary Pledges and Commitments under Resolution of the General 
Assembly of the United Nations A/RES/60/251 
 
Having submitted its candidacy to the Human Rights Council of the 
United Nations, Italy engages to continue to strive for the highest 
standards of human rights and to fully cooperate with the UN system 
in order to make it increasingly effective, both within the Human 
Rights Council and the other relevant UN bodies, in particular the 
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Agencies and 
Programmes. 
 
Hence, Italy's efforts towards the strengthening of the HRC system 
within the UN will be focused on the following pledges and 
commitments. 
In the United Nations and internationally, Italy will: 
 
Work in the most cooperative way with the Human Rights Council and 
all the mechanisms that will be established under it 
 
Strive to enhance the relevance and the effectiveness of thematic 
action in different sets of countries, in order to keep 
international focus on specific relevant human rights issues 
 
Contribute to improve the membership of the HRC through encouraging 
States with good human rights records to apply for membership. 
 
Support the work of the Special Procedures which will be established 
by the Human Rights Council. 
 
Encourage Third Countries to report more frequently and extensively 
to the UN Treaty Bodies, follow up the TB recommendations, and 
invite and accept visits of the UN Special Procedures. 
 
Combat impunity, including by promoting the universalization of 
signatures and ratifications of the Statute of the International 
Criminal Court.  In particular, Italy strives to promote the respect 
for human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide, with special 
focus on some issues of particular concern, namely: 
 
Promoting the rule of law and strengthening of democracy by, inter 
alia 
- Keeping its support to electoral observation missions and 
follow-up in countries in transition or not fully developed 
democracies. 
 
- Strengthening Parliaments, political parties, civil society and 
other democratic institutions, with special focus on strengthening 
justice systems, in countries in post-conflict or transition 
situation, through specific training. 
 
- Protection of children's rights, especially children involved in 
armed conflicts, by, inter alia 
- Keeping a high profile both of political initiatives and 
cooperation programmes, especially through cooperation with and 
support to UNICEF. 
- Contrast to xenophobia, racism and all forms of discrimination by, 
inter alia 
 
- Promoting increased support of resolutions against racism, 
xenophobia and all forms of discrimination presented at the HRC, 
highlighting in particular specific actions needed in order to 
eliminate any form of discrimination 
 
- Combating torture by, inter alia 
 
- Increasing the number of countries that have ratified and that 
implement the Convention Against Torture (CAT) 
 
- Combating gender-based discrimination by, inter alia 
 
- Promoting concrete actions for preventing and combating violence 
against women and international trafficking of human beings 
 
- Abolition of the death penalty by, inter alia 
 
- Striving for the increase of the number of abolitionist countries, 
eventually requesting countries not willing to abolish yet the death 
penalty to apply a moratorium as an intermediate objective 
 
Domestically, Italy is preparing the adaptation/adjustment of its 
legislation in order to: 
 
- Complete the normative process for the implementation of the 
Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC); 
 
- Achieve ratification and implementation of the Optional Protocol 
to the Convention Against Torture and Cruel Inhuman or Degrading 
Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT); 
 
- Establish the National Independent Commission for the Promotion 
and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 
 
- End text. 
 
Tichenor