Italy’s Action on Human Rights
The Italian Constitution provides the framework for Italy’s international action on human rights.
Respect for human dignity and fundamental rights, the pursuit of solidarity and equality, the removal of obstacles to freedom and the fight against all forms of discrimination are the founding values of the Italian Republic. They therefore underpin our diplomatic engagement in international and regional cooperation, with the aim of strengthening a multilayered system of human rights protection closely linked to development and peace.
Over time, Italy has distinguished itself through its attention to several key issues, which it also supports through cooperation projects designed to deliver immediate results on the ground. These include emergency humanitarian assistance operations conducted in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These priorities are reflected in our three-year term (2026–2028) as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), reaffirming Italy’s commitment to the effective protection of human rights based on their universality, indivisibility and interdependence, in line with the principles of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1993 Vienna Declaration. Italy’s foreign policy is guided by dialogue and openness, respect for cultural diversity, and the full involvement of civil society and non-governmental organisations. The legislation regulating international development cooperation itself lays down that the protection of human rights is an integral and distinctive component of Italy’s foreign policy.
Italy’s priorities cover a wide range of issues: combating all forms of discrimination; advancing women’s rights and gender equality; protecting and promoting children’s rights, particularly in situations of armed conflict; safeguarding freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief and the rights of religious minorities; preserving cultural and religious heritage; combating trafficking in human beings; safeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities; and protecting human rights defenders. A longstanding cause championed by Italian diplomacy stands alongside these priorities: securing a universal moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its complete abolition.
Italy’s financial commitment to human rights
Italy’s commitment to human rights internationally also takes the form of regular voluntary financial contributions to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as well as to various UN funds and mechanisms dedicated to protecting the rights of the most vulnerable people and strengthening the rule of law. In recent years, Italy has contributed in particular to the following funds and mechanisms:
- the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Children Affected by Armed Conflict (CAAC Fund), which works to prevent violations against children during armed conflicts;
- the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict (ROLSV Team), which helps strengthen the rule of law and ensure the prosecution of crimes of sexual violence;
- the United Nations Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Work of the Human Rights Council (UNTF-LDC/SIDS), which supports their participation in the Council’s work by providing training, fellowships and technical assistance to strengthen their capacities;
- the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), which supports initiatives to raise global awareness of the added value of human security, both within and outside the United Nations system;
- the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT), which finances programmes for victims of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment;
- the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Disability (UNVFD), which develops projects to implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Furthermore, Law No. 145/2018 (the 2019 Budget Law) established a fund within the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) to support populations belonging to persecuted Christian minorities in crisis areas across various regions of the world.
These measures reflect Italy’s determination to be a reliable partner in global human rights initiatives and demonstrate its sustained commitment to safeguarding and advancing fundamental rights internationally. This reliability is also reflected in Italy’s defence of the resources allocated to the UN’s human rights pillar at a time of substantial cuts to the Organisation’s expenditure.
The death penalty
Italy firmly believes that the death penalty is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that violates human dignity, provides no benefits in terms of security or deterrence, and has the severe disadvantage of making any miscarriage of justice irreversible. Accordingly, Italy has been at the forefront of the international campaign for a universal moratorium on executions, which led in December 2007 to the historic adoption of the first UN General Assembly Resolution on the issue, with 104 votes in favour, 54 against and 29 abstentions. Since then, the Resolution has been renewed every two years, with progressively fewer votes against. The most recent Resolution on the matter was co-facilitated by Italy and Argentina in 2024 and received unprecedented support: 130 votes in favour, 32 against and 22 abstentions. With the same commitment, Italy actively participates in negotiations on the annual resolution for the abolition of the death penalty within the UN Human Rights Council, which it regularly co-sponsors.
With a view to supporting the campaign, in 2014 the Foreign Ministry established a Task Force involving the civil society organisations most actively engaged in opposing the death penalty, including Amnesty International, the Community of Sant’Egidio and Hands Off Cain. Its specific purpose is to coordinate awareness-raising efforts and outreach to third countries in support of the UN resolution. The importance of moving towards the complete and definitive abolition of the death penalty is regularly raised in bilateral and multilateral dialogue with third countries, including in coordination with other European Union Member States. The Task Force most recently met in May 2026 in preparation for the new UN General Assembly resolution.
Combating all forms of discrimination and promoting freedom of religion
Italy actively contributes to many international initiatives aimed at combating all forms of discrimination, attaching particular importance to countering hate speech, including online. In this regard, Italy supports Human Rights Council resolutions addressing all forms of discrimination linked to racism, xenophobia and intolerance, as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Where appropriate, Italy outlines its national good practices in combating discrimination in international forums. These practices have been gradually strengthened through the adoption of strategies and structural policies coordinated by the National Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR). They include the National Strategy for Roma, Sinti and Caminanti Communities (2021–2030), the National LGBT+ Strategy (2022–2027), and the 2025 National Action Plan against Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance. The latter is a multi-year instrument for preventing and systematically combating ethnic and racial discrimination in line with international human rights standards.
Religion can become a source of conflict and discrimination that should be addressed. In promoting peaceful coexistence among peoples and groups of different faiths or beliefs, Italy works resolutely to secure more effective international protection for freedom of religion and the rights of religious minorities. Together with the other European Union Member States, Italy annually supports resolutions on freedom of religion or belief in the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council that condemn all forms of religious intolerance and discrimination. It also actively participates in European and international forums to promote religious freedom and interfaith dialogue.
As part of international efforts to combat antisemitism, Italy has participated since 1999 in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), the only intergovernmental organisation mandated to address contemporary challenges relating to remembrance of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma. In 2025, Italy updated its National Strategy for Combating Antisemitism, a five-year plan adopted by the Council of Ministers to address antisemitism systematically through five key areas of action: research, education and training, remembrance, security and monitoring of the digital sphere.
Women’s rights
Despite significant progress in recent decades, gender equality remains a goal yet to be achieved. In many parts of the world, women and girls continue to experience discrimination and physical and psychological violence, and to fall victim to human trafficking networks. Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment are among Italy’s priority goals, nationally, regionally and globally. Italy is a party to the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). In 2025, Italy also endorsed the Beijing+30 Political Declaration, which renews States’ commitment to implementing the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Italy was elected as a voting member of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for a term beginning in 2026 and extending until 2029. At the national level, the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2021–2026 is still in force.
Italy’s action encompasses both promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality and strengthening the prosecution and punishment of those responsible for all forms of violence against women and girls. Through diplomatic negotiations and development cooperation alike, Italy is deeply engaged in international campaigns to eradicate abhorrent forms of violence such as female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage.
Domestically, Italy has undertaken reforms to develop a robust legal framework aimed at strengthening the prevention of violence, improving protection for victims and ensuring the effective prosecution of perpetrators, as demonstrated by the adoption of the National Strategic Plan on Male Violence against Women 2025–2027. A particularly significant development was the introduction of femicide as a separate, distinct and specific offence in the Italian Criminal Code through Law No. 181 of 2 December 2025.
Italy is also particularly active on the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, supporting UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) through initiatives that promote women’s full, equal and inclusive participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution, and in post-conflict reconstruction, with a view to building sustainable and lasting peace. In 2026, Italy has served as co-chair of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network, reflecting its leading role in implementing the Agenda, as also demonstrated by the adoption of its Fifth National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2025–2029.
Children’s rights
Italy has always paid particular attention to protecting children’s rights. Children are especially vulnerable in armed conflict and post-conflict settings, as well as in situations marked by underdevelopment, extreme poverty and social tensions. These issues are a pillar of Italy’s 2026–2028 term on the UN Human Rights Council. The many multilateral initiatives supported by Italy to safeguard children and their rights include the annual resolutions on the rights of the child jointly submitted by the European Union and the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (GRULAC) in the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. Italy consistently participates in debates on these issues and organises awareness-raising events in both UN bodies.
Today, one in five children worldwide lives in conflict zones, amounting to more than 520 million children. Severe violations against children and adolescents ascertained by the United Nations in these areas have increased by 30% in recent years. These trends further reinforce Italy’s determination to support measures to monitor and safeguard children’s rights in armed conflict, implementing the principles of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. This commitment is reflected both within the European Union, through Italy’s contribution to the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), and within the United Nations, through support for the CAAC Agenda. In particular, Italy supports the mandate and activities of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, including the global campaign “Prove It Matters”, which seeks to encourage States to implement the CRC consistently. Italy also contributes financially to the Trust Fund for Children and Armed Conflict, which is essential to implementing the Special Rapporteur’s mandate by enabling research into the impact of violations against children in conflict and supporting crucial field missions. Italy’s engagement also includes cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict (UNETCHAC), which brings together 20 Italian universities and higher education institutions and 31 foreign universities to conduct research and develop awareness-raising strategies.
Italy was also among the first countries to sign the Safe Schools Declaration, adopted in 2015 to protect education during armed conflict. Italy consistently raises awareness of the Declaration and promotes it in all relevant forums, from the General Assembly to the Security Council. Already a member of the Groups of Friends of Children and Armed Conflict established in New York, Geneva and at the OSCE, Italy launched the Group of Friends on CAAC for the European Union together with Belgium in 2022, with support from the UN Liaison Office for Children and Armed Conflict in Brussels and UNICEF.
Most recently, in 2026 Italy has joined the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children, an international cooperation forum seeking to eradicate all forms of violence against children, in line with Sustainable Development Goal target 16.2 of the 2030 Agenda.
Rights of persons with disabilities
Italy firmly supports the elimination of all attitudinal and environmental barriers that prevent the full, meaningful and effective participation and inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of society’s cultural, educational, economic, civic and political life. It advocates the full implementation of the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, promoting the broadest possible international adherence. In global forums, Italy consistently supports resolutions on the rights of persons with disabilities submitted to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities. Protecting persons with disabilities and safeguarding their rights are among the leading priorities of Italy’s 2026–2028 term on the UN Human Rights Council.
Italy launched and co-chaired a Group of Friends dedicated to the cultural rights of persons with disabilities at the United Nations in Geneva. The Group seeks to promote and ensure their right to participate in cultural life, enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, and develop their cultural and linguistic identity. Its activities include the digitisation of cultural heritage in various countries, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the “Virtual Museum of Cultural Heritage” project and carried out in accordance with the principles of inclusiveness and accessibility.
In 2023, on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Italy made a solemn pledge to develop national policies providing stronger protection for the rights of persons with disabilities through a reform based on four pillars: an innovative system for ascertaining the disability status; a multidimensional assessment of disability; the establishment of a National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and improvements to the accessibility and inclusiveness of public services.
Other initiatives include the adoption of the Solfagnano Charter at the first G7 Ministerial Meeting on disability; the endorsement of a four-year plan to strengthen the safety of persons with disabilities during emergencies and conflicts at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent; participation in the annual Conferences of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and the solemn pledge, made on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to adopt and implement national policies providing greater protection and support for the rights of persons with disabilities.
Rights of older persons
According to national statistics, as of 1 January 2026, Italy had 14.8 million people aged over 65, accounting for 25.1% of the population. Italy thus ranks among the European countries with the greatest longevity and highest life expectancy, with a significant increase in the number of people aged over 85 and over 100.
Faced with the reality reflected in these figures, Italy is necessarily committed to promoting the rights of elderly people, ensuring that they are free from discrimination and enjoy full accessibility, participation and inclusion. Italy plays a leading role in multilateral negotiations on resolutions concerning older persons’ rights and in pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, particularly those most relevant to them. These include ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages (SDG 3); securing decent work for all, regardless of age (SDG 8); reducing inequalities within countries (SDG 10); and creating inclusive, safe and accessible cities, public spaces and transport systems (SDG 11).
Italy strengthened its commitment to ensuring older persons’ full enjoyment of all their rights through the Ministerial Declaration of the Fifth UNECE Ministerial Conference on Ageing (Rome, 2022), which sets objectives for implementing the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and its Regional Implementation Strategy (MIPAA/RIS) for the period 2022–2027. In this context, Italy was among the strongest supporters and co-sponsors of the Human Rights Council resolution establishing an intergovernmental working group to draft an international legally binding instrument aimed at promoting and protecting the human rights and dignity of older persons. In 2025, Italy became the 20th Member State of the Group of Friends of Human Rights of Older Persons (GoF HROP).
Combating trafficking in human beings
Trafficking in human beings is a severe violation of human rights and may amount to a crime against humanity. It also poses a severe threat to international peace and security. Italy is deeply committed to combating it in cooperation with the United Nations, other international organisations and civil society, resolutely promoting international judicial and police cooperation.
Italy lays particular emphasis on preventing and prosecuting this crime in order to dismantle trafficking networks, while also working to protect victims and promote their socioeconomic inclusion, with particular attention to vulnerable groups. It also promotes international cooperation instruments consistent with this approach.
Italy is therefore a party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Optional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, for which it advocates the broadest possible adherence. Within the UN, Italy strongly supports the activities of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Italy is also a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, known as the Warsaw Convention, and supports the work of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), which monitors the Convention’s implementation, among other tasks.
Within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Italy provides a particularly valuable contribution by organising training courses for anti-trafficking practitioners. These courses aim to disseminate best practices internationally through cooperation with the Carabinieri’s Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU), based in Vicenza. This programme also included the first Mediterranean regional simulation exercise, held in Vicenza with the participation of the OSCE participating States and Partners most affected by immigration along the Mediterranean route.
Under EL PACCTO 2.0, the Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime, an EU initiative coordinated by the Foreign Ministry and implemented by the Italian-Latin American International Organisation (IILA), Italy promotes training and technical and operational cooperation to strengthen the prevention of and response to human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Latin America. With specialist contributions from the Italian State Police, technical and operational activities have been conducted for prosecutors, senior police officers and investigators, focusing particularly on identifying and protecting victims and addressing emerging forms of cyber-trafficking and cyber-smuggling.
In line with developments in the European legal framework, Italy transposed Directive (EU) 2024/1712 through Legislative Decree No. 115 of 2026. The Directive updates EU legislation on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.
Human rights defenders and journalists
Italy recognises the crucial importance of civil society, whose contribution to building democratic and pluralistic societies, and to ensuring their stability and prosperity, is irreplaceable. Human rights defenders play a particularly valuable role: by raising awareness and upholding high standards of protection, they sustain efforts to support and defend human rights at the local, national, regional and international levels. Journalists, including independent journalists, bloggers and citizen journalists, are likewise an essential component of a free and open society and a key instrument for ensuring accountable government.
Safeguarding the work of human rights defenders and protecting their rights are on Italy’s agenda for its 2026–2028 term on the Human Rights Council. Italy also actively supports Resolutions on the protection of human rights defenders submitted to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as well as the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. This independent body monitors violations and documents cases of abuse against defenders while promoting implementation of the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. Italian authorities devote similar efforts to disseminating and implementing the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and the OSCE/ODIHR Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which are essential tools for the work of Italian diplomatic Missions abroad.
Italy also contributes to promoting press freedom and the right to information through its participation in the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), a multilateral initiative dedicated to safeguarding media freedom and independence and ensuring journalists’ safety by protecting media professionals from threats and intimidation. Italy is also a member of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a multilateral platform established in 2011 to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms in digital environments.
Business and Human Rights
Together with the European Union, Italy is engaged internationally in business and human rights on the basis of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, endorsed by the Human Rights Council in 2011. Italy adheres to many soft-law instruments developed by the United Nations, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The European Union turns these international standards into a legally binding framework for its Member States, establishing due diligence and environmental sustainability obligations considered among the most advanced in the world. In 2014, intergovernmental negotiations began within the Human Rights Council on an international legally binding instrument to regulate business activities under international human rights law.
In 2016, following a public, multi-stakeholder consultation led by the Interministerial Committee for Human Rights (ICHR), Italy became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles. This was followed by a second National Action Plan for the period 2021–2026, introducing new commitments to ensure consistency between Italy’s national position and the UN principles, and to endorse and transpose the recommendations made to Italy during the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (2019–2020).