On the occasion of Italy’s re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term – held on 15 October with 179 votes, the highest result among the countries of the Western European and Other States Group – the Italian Cultural Institute of Zurich organised a briefing session on human rights and international humanitarian law, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Zurich, the Italian Red Cross, and the Chair of Legal History at the University of Zurich.
The event opened with a symbolically significant tribute: a visit to Zurich’s Sihlfeld Cemetery to commemorate Henri Dunant (1828–1910), founder of the Red Cross and a seminal figure in the development of International Humanitarian Law.
The subsequent session, held at the Rectorate of the University of Zurich, featured contributions from Professor Elisabetta Fiocchi Malaspina, Chair of Legal History at the University of Zurich; Gianluigi Mastandrea Bonaviri, First Secretary at Italy’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva; and Michele Romeo Jasinski and Major Carlos Lorenzo Musso, both volunteers with the Italian Red Cross, with Major Musso also serving in the Carabinieri Corps. The discussion underscored Italy’s longstanding commitment to the promotion and protection of International Humanitarian Law, a fundamental pillar of the international legal order and an enduring beacon of civilisation.
