ITALY Post-Forum Dialogue Partner Re-assessment Reporting Template 2015

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1 ITALY Post-Forum Dialogue Partner Re-assessment Reporting Template 2015 Assessment Criteria Long-established historical links with the region 1 which may include significant security links Report Narrative Italy, notwithstanding the geographical distance from Oceania, has long established historical links with the Small Pacific Islands, which are not based on any colonial or post-colonial experience but on a progressive establishment of diplomatic relations, as soon as PIF countries started becoming independent. Both Italy and the Small Pacific Island agree on the fundamental role played by the United Nations in strengthening international peace and security. Besides, we share especially a common concern and approach on environmental and climate change issues, which is a security issue too. Italy was among the main sponsors of the UN resolution on climate change and has always supported the approval of legally binding measures for the reduction of emissions and a stronger commitment of the International Community for the adoption of programs related to mitigation and adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change. Italy has strongly encouraged the efforts of the European Union in prioritizing the awareness about climate change and has therefore enthusiastically supported the decision of the EU to announce ambitious targets at the forthcoming Paris Climate Conference in December. Italy and the EU will not spare any effort to ensure the best outcome of the Paris Climate Conference which should allow reaching a universal agreement by which, all countries, be they developed or developing countries, will be equally bound with the aim to limit global temperature increase to below 2 degree celsius. Italy, while acknowledging that the UNFCCC is the primary international Fora for negotiating the global response to climate change, firmly believes that the climate change issues, being a main pillar of sustainable development, should be included in the Sustainable Development Goals and New Millenium Development Goals and in the Agenda Post Italy fully supports the activities carried out 1 The Pacific region includes all sixteen Forum Member countries (Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu). For this exercise, links with other states in the Pacific Ocean may be reflected also at Partners discretion.

2 by the SIDS and the Pacific Island Forum (PIF). For this reason Italy decided to join in 2007 the Post Forum Dialogue (PFD), becoming so a privileged PIF Partner. Level of trade and investment links with the region Long term commitment to the region through: (a) participation in regional and sub-regional organizations/networks and/or; (b) the establishment of diplomatic missions and/or; (c) through regular political dialogue with the Forum The geographical distance between Italy and the Pacific region doesn't facilitate the establishment of significant trade and investment links and there are no important Italian enterprises in the Region, with the exception of Papua Guinea. Volumes are very low and the main sectors are basically: Italian imports of tuna fish caught in the PIF territorial waters; Italian export of consumer goods; Italian investment in the tourism related activities, in those islands where there are tourist activities and mainly in the hospitality field. There are good prospects for the development of a fruitful bilateral cooperation with Papua New Guinea, which is attracting an increasing interest of the Italian companies operating in the infrastructure, construction, energy-mining, engineering, machinery and equipment sectors. The universal exhibition Expo Milan could help to boost the economic bilateral relation, including tourism, with the Small Pacific Islands in the forthcoming years. In fact, Vanuatu is participating with its stand while almost all the other Small Pacific Islands, under the PIF Secretariat coordination, are participating in the Spices Cluster. (a) In 2006 Italy was among the founding members of the Global Island Partnership, GLISPA, the non-political alliance dedicated to promoting actions for islands conservation and sustainable livelihoods. The Italian strong commitment towards the Pacific SIDS was recognized when in 2007 Italy was admitted to the Post Forum Dialogue of the Pacific Island Forum. Since then, Italy has always participated to the meetings. Furthermore, Italy fully supports the multilateral organizations in the Pacific region and especially the activities carried out by SIDS. Italy has given a financial contribution for the organization of the SIDS Conference which was held in Samoa in 2014 and the forthcoming SIDS Conference to be held this year in Italy on the occasion of the EXPO Milan next October. In fact, Italy has authorized 2

3 Cultural and social identification with communities in the region Development effectiveness and ODA assistance to the region through bilateral, regional and UNDESA to utilize Italy's Trust Fund (409,000 Euro) to support the organization of the two above mentioned SIDS conferences. (b) Italy established diplomatic relations with Tonga (1976), Samoa (1987), Tuvalu (1987), Kiribati (1989), Marshall islands (1993), Cook Islands (2003), Niue (2015, to be finalized), Palau, Nauru (1997), as well as with Vanuatu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia. (c) Italy regularly participates at the meetings of the Post Forum Dialogue. For example, in 2014 the Italian Vice Foreign Minister Della Vedova attended the 26th Post Forum Dialogue meeting which took place in Palau and on that occasion he had also many bilateral talks with the Head of Delegations of the Pacific Island Forum Member States. Moreover, the Italian Vice Foreign Minister Pistelli, responsible of the Italian Development Cooperation, participated at the last SIDS Conference in Samoa, which took place in Italy has a strong cultural and social identification with Australia, to a lesser extent with New Zealand, due to the presence of huge communities of Italian descent (almost 1 million people in Australia). The Italian community in Australia is very well integrated and gave an invaluable contribution to the build-up of wellfunctioning multicultural society in this country. There aren't significant diasporas od Small Pacific Island countries living in Italy. Also the number of Italian citizen residing in the Pacific region is very low, although there is an important presence of Italian missionaries, who live in some Small Pacific Island, such as Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu. The Italian missionaries have been outstanding in their solidarity activities and have especially given a great contribution in supporting poor people by creating building hospitals, schools and training facilities. They are highly appreciated by the Small Pacific Island authorities. There are no visa free access agreements signed between Italy and the Small Pacific Islands and the matter falls under the Schengen Agreement. In 2013 the Italian ODA amounted to 0.17% of GNI (total volume 2,583,530,000 euro). It is expected to reach 0.18% in 2016, 0.21% in

4 multilateral programmes. and 0.24% in This trend will allow the achievement of the 0.30% target in 2020, taking also into account the ongoing negotiations aimed at defining the new Agenda for sustainable development, with the commitment to achieve the target of 0.7% by the European Union as a whole. In 2012 and 2013 the total volume of Italian commitments to initiatives with principal or significant Environment marker was M US dollar. Italy's main support to the region is channelled through the European Union, with a contribution of 12,86 %, to the 10th European Development Fund - EDF ( ) and of 12,53% to the 11th EDF ( ), which amount respectively to 97 ME for the period (EU total: 750 ME) and to 86 ME for the period (EU Total: 686 ME). Apart from that, Italy operates in the Pacific Region mainly through some important regional programmes, carried out both directly and through international organizations. All the Italian ODA towards the region is financed through grants and is almost completely devoted to the following priority sectors: protection of the environment, renewable energy, energy efficiency, adaptation to climate change. The main ongoing initiative is the regional environmental program with the Pacific Small Islands Developing States, which has proved so successful to catalyse during the years other donors such as Austria, Luxembourg and Spain. So far Italy (Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of Land and Sea and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation-Development Cooperation Department) has invested more than 16 million dollars in this program since In this framework, on 23 rd June 2015, Italy gave an additional contribution of 600,000 Euro through IUCN for the promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency in Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Palau, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands. Moreover, Italy has adopted a regional program n support to the formulation of National Sustainable Development Strategies in the Pacific, which is managed by UNDESA through the above mentioned Italian contribution of 409,000 Euro. In PNG Italy is carrying out through FAO and the involvement of GLISPA a program for the sustainable management of mountain forests (1,35 million Euro). Besides, the Italian Cooperation has responded quickly to the humanitarian emergencies in the region, for example after the flood in the Solomon Island in 2014 (50,000 Euro were committed through FICROSS) and 4

5 Shared interests or common positions on key international issues. more recently after the cyclone which hit Vanuatu and Tuvalu ( Euro + 100,000 Euro respectively, through FICROSS). It is also worth mentioning that Italy supported, through UNDESA, the organization of the Third UN Conference on SIDS, held in Apia (Samoa) on September 2014, especially by fostering participation of the Pacific SIDS. Italy also actively attended the Conference, coordinating three thematic side events ("SIDS undertaking Rio+20 challenge ; "Food security, nutrition and livelihoods ; and An innovative partnership for managing climate change in SIDS ) and contributing to the definition of the final document SIDSs Accelerated Modalities of Action (Samoa Pathway). Standing by the commitment undertaken during the Conference, on October 2015 Italy will host, with the technical support of UNDESA, a stocktaking event in Milan, in connection with EXPO The outcome of the Samoa Conference highlights the clear interplay of the issues of climate change, food security and nutrition in the development process of SIDS. Milan will be a unique opportunity for assessing the progress made by SIDS and donors, to monitor the commitments undertaken in Samoa and to connect them to the global debate on food security and nutrition promoted by Italy through EXPO (which is dedicated to the theme: Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life ). Furthermore, Italy, as a founding member and permanent supporter of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), is committed to host, in October 2015, the GLISPA annual Steering Committee in Turin. This will offer a further opportunity to encourage and facilitate dialogue among the membership (SIDS, donors, international, regional and national organizations) on issues related to SIDS sustainable development, through the exchange of knowledge and best practices, both in a North-South and South-South perspective. Italy, through the European Union, is bringing to the COP XXI in Paris a very serious commitment to reduce significantly the emission of Green House Gas. This is an approached shared by all PIF Countries. On the human Rights field, Italy welcomed the support received by a vast majority of PIF Countries to its long standing commitment in favour of a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. On the UN engagement, Italy is leading an action for a more inclusive and democratic Security Council that is in favour of a stronger representation of SIDS-Small Countries. Italy Support all Forum declarations 5

6 Key Pacific Islands Forum Declarations 2 Name of Declaration (Year) Honiara Declaration on Law Enforcement Cooperation (1992) Aitutaki Declaration on Regional Security Cooperation (1997) Nasonini Declaration on Regional Security (2002) Vava u Declaration on Pacific Fisheries Resources: Our Fish, Our Future (2007) Forum Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination (2009) Waiheke Declaration on Sustainable Economic Development (2011) Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (2012) Majuro Declaration on Climate Leadership (2013) Palau Declaration on The Ocean: Life and Future (2014) PFD Partner Recognition (Y/N) 2 The full content of each Declaration can be located at: 6