Introduction

Italy has reviewed its human rights record under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism four times since its establishment. The UPR is a process of the Human Rights Council created by General Assembly resolution 60/251. The situation in Italy was reviewed in the fourth cycle during the first session held on January 20, 2025. The Italian delegation was led by Giorgio Silli, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The working group adopted the report concerning Italy during its session on January 24, 2025.

In the fourth review of the UPR mechanism, Italy received the highest number of recommendations compared to the three previous reviews. Although Italy accepted about 87% of the recommendations presented to it in the fourth review, it did not accept significant recommendations to ensure the rights of migrants and refugees, as well as those related to ratifying international agreements and treaties, such as the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Additionally, Italy has not established a national human rights institution that complies with the Paris Principles regarding the status of national human rights institutions, despite governmental consultations pushing in this direction. The selective handling of some recommendations made to Italy and its stance on these recommendations prompted Maat for Peace, Development, and Human Rights to prepare a working paper focusing on analyzing the recommendations presented to Italy, categorizing them, and tracking the seriousness of the Italian government in implementing these recommendations based on credible evidence and data.

Therefore, Maat presents a working paper as part of the campaign "Human Rights in Italy: Between Promises and Rights Wasted," following the adoption of the outcomes of the UPR of Italy at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council. The paper focuses on the recommendations made to Italy regarding ten issues, five of which concern specific groups: migrants and refugees; women's rights; children's rights; human rights defenders in the humanitarian field; and minority rights. The other five issues are thematic in nature: combating racism and preventing discrimination; ratifying international agreements and treaties; establishing a national human rights institution; as well as prison conditions in Italy and, finally, healthcare. Maat selected these ten issues because they are areas where reliable information is available.

 

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