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Since Italy's admission to the
United Nations in 1955, our participation at the highest level of
representation has been a constant.
All the most important Italian
political personalities have spoken at the United Nations. Either
as Presidents of the Council of Ministers or as Ministers of
Foreign Affairs, the big names of Italian politics have come to
New York. This research have carried out with the invaluable help of a
group of young students who checked all the dates and the
occasions, an contributed to retrieve the original
documents.
Several Presidents of the
Republic had this chance. On the other hand, considering the role
of this institution in Italy, there are very few occasions for the
Head of State to address the United Nations, so they are often
pictured during visits to the Secretary General of the
Organization.
The research has focused on official
statements delivered by personalities. Official statements are essential
elements for historians, researchers and for people interested in
international relations, to understand how foreign policy evolves
in our time. They represent the basis for further analysis and
comparison with other sources.
The last 50 years have been filled
with
events that have profoundly changed the global
political, social and economic scene. These changes inevitably
reflected in UN activities and priorities and in the different statements
made throughout the different phases of recent
international politics.
Most of the statements were
delivered during the opening sessions of the General Assembly.
This is generally the segment at the Ministerial level that takes
place in the first days of the General Assembly session in autumn
when representatives of governments come to New York.
Collecting official pictures has
also been an important part of the research. The UN Photo Library
is an extraordinary source of visual material. The selected photos
show us faces and concentrated expressions that can be fully
understood only by those who have entered, at least once, the
General Assembly Hall or the Security Council Chamber. The
atmosphere of these places intimidate even the most experienced
politician.
One special mention should be made
of the Presidency of the General Assembly which is a
once-in-a-lifetime occasion. In 1965, an Italian, Amintore Fanfani,
had this important task. This moment is
documented in the research either with statements or photos. Under Fanfani’s
presidency, the first papal visit to the United Nations took place
by Paul VI. Another important milestone in the history of the
United Nations in New York. |