Italy is preparing to become one of UNICEF’s main bases worldwide under a host-country agreement, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a message to an event in Florence marking 40 years of the organization’s office at the Istituto degli Innocenti and UNICEF’s 80th anniversary globally.
Meloni said the agreement would recognize Italy’s contribution to UNICEF’s work and bring new responsibilities. The institute has hosted UNICEF’s global research and documentation center for four decades, producing studies and analysis that help inform child-focused policies in many countries.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said children’s needs are outstripping available resources as conflicts and climate-related shocks reach record levels and global budgets shrink. She thanked the Italian government and public for supporting the organization’s work.
The event highlighted that more than 150 million children under five experience chronic malnutrition. More than 500 million children—almost one in five worldwide—live in countries affected by war or violent conflict. In wealthier countries, nearly one in five children lives in economic poverty, according to the figures presented.
Italy invited UNICEF to establish a research office at the Istituto degli Innocenti in 1986. The institution has worked to protect children for more than 600 years. Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Undersecretary Edmondo Cirielli said Italy’s commitment to children’s rights continues across changes of government, adding that UNICEF helps ensure a presence in crisis situations.
Sources: ANSA Politica.