Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)

During 2024, Italy successfully cooperated with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), participating in the initiatives related to governance, human rights, and digital innovation. One of the initiatives was the STARS project, which was funded and supported by Italy, the EU, and Bulgaria. This project aimed to strengthen the response to the needs and rights of victims of hate crimes. 

Moreover, on October 24, 2024, Italy hosted a seminar on the Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly in Italy, where the ODIHR presented its Opinion on Certain Provisions of the Bill n.1660. The provisions of this opinion are focused on counter-terrorism, public security, crimes or other offences against law enforcement authorities, weapons regulations, and the conditions of detention. However, according to this opinion, the ODIHR stated that these provisions could undermine the fundamental tenets of criminal justice and the rule of law. In December, Italy became a host country for peaceful assembly monitoring training for Amnesty International volunteers.  

The OSCE’s Legislation Review Fund analysed Italian legislation on public security and organized events with Italian stakeholders to present and discuss the main findings and recommendations from ODIHR’s legal analysis of public security and freedom of peaceful assembly in Italy.

At the same time, the OSCE’s Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings created the Training Exercise with a simulation for anti-trafficking practitioners from the Mediterranean region from 7 to 11 October 2024 in Vicenza, Italy. Students in  Human Rights and Multi-level Governance of the University of Padua participated in these simulation exercises.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration

From 6 to 8 March 2024, the delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, led by Chair Daniela De Ridder (Germany), alongside the Special Representative on Combating Organized Crime, Eugenio Zoffili (Italy), and OSCE PA President Pia Kauma (Finland), visited Italy to witness first-hand the challenges faced by Italy in dealing with irregular migration in Lampedusa, Sicily. One of the main topics addressed was understanding how organized criminal networks exploit mixed migration flows to traffic human beings and smuggle migrants across borders.

The Committee also pays special attention to ensuring that migrants belonging to vulnerable groups, including unaccompanied minors, women, and victims of trafficking and gender-based violence, are treated appropriately and that procedures are respected.

The representatives of the Committee recognized the tremendous efforts that Italian authorities have made over the years to welcome refugees and to save lives, stating that there are many lessons to be learned from this visit. Moreover, they stressed that solidarity, cooperation, coordination, and shared responsibility are key guiding principles in addressing the challenges connected to migratory movements: “Greater shared responsibility is needed to address the challenges related to irregular migration with the ultimate goal of ensuring the security of the entire OSCE region.” 

The committee highlighted that the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, the new solidarity mechanism, and reform of the Common European Asylum System should be closely monitored to ensure that due process and the right to seek asylum are respected and that migrants in vulnerable categories, in particular are identified and receive protection. 

Other lessons were to expand legal migration routes to reduce dependence on smugglers, to improve the coordination with NGO and Search & Rescue at sea to ensure adequate conditions for immigrants, to prevent their deaths, and to enhance collaboration and information sharing with EUROPOL to combat human smuggling and trafficking in human beings.  

Moreover, the committee claimed that “Economic downturns serve as additional catalysts for migration”; therefore, it is important to provide comprehensive economic development assistance to countries that generate significant numbers of migrants, to mitigate poverty as a main driver of migration. Chair De Ridder stated, “Lampedusa is a place where tragedy and hope mix with a lot of potential. We often cannot understand the willingness to take risks of refugees who want to reach Europe by  sea, but we must work more intensively on the causes of flight, especially conflict, poverty, and climate change.”

Representative on freedom of the media

In March 2024, Teresa Ribeiro, the fifth Representative on Freedom of the Media, had a visit to Italy where she met high-level State officials. Teresa Ribeiro and Italian officials discussed the importance of ensuring the safety of journalists and the independence of public service media. She raised concerns about the criminalization of defamation, which negatively impacts journalistic activities. She claimed that “Defamation is a civil wrong that should be dealt with through private law”, stressing that the decriminalisation of defamation will be an important step towards aligning national law with international standards. 

In addition, Teresa Ribeiro discussed with the Undersecretary of State to the Ministry Justice Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove and the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of Council of Ministers Alberto Barachini Council of Ministers, as well as with Giacomo Lasorella, the President of the Italian Communication Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) that cooperation between the Office of the Representative and Italian government is crucial to uphold fundamental principles of media freedom and protect the invaluable role of journalists in society by creating safe environment for them without fear of reprisal.

Moreover, the Office of the Representative and the Coordination Centre for Monitoring, Analysis, and Permanent Exchange of Information on Acts of Intimidation Against Journalists organized an event on the Safety of Journalists, where the National Focal Points, Ribeiro and Prefect Raffaele Grassi, who serves as the President of the Support Body of the Centre, discussed topics such as promoting closer cooperation between journalist associations, judicial authorities and law enforcement agencies to improve the safety of journalists.

On 11th April 2024, the Representative condemned the attack on Tgr Calabria’s TV crew, including journalist Lorenzo Gottardo, injured during the assignment, via comments through his official social media channel on Facebook, expressing trust in the Italian authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the Safety of Journalists.

91st Joint meeting of the OSCE Forum Security Co-operation and the OSCE Permanent Council

On 10 July 2024, during the 91st Joint meeting of the OSCE Forum Security Co-operation and the OSCE Permanent Council, the delegation of Italy emphasized that women play a crucial role in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, referring to the Ukrainian female defenders who contribute to the security.  The delegation of Italy referred to the updated National Action Plan (2025–2030), showing its importance. This Plan promotes “equal and effective participation of women in negotiation processes and all phases of armed conflict management and the promotion of the gender perspective in peace operations, and for the enhancement of the presence of women in the armed forces and police.”

Moreover, the delegation stated their commitment to protect women's rights and ensure gender equality, to improve the women, peace and security agenda, including its application to disaster risk prevention, and to eradicate all forms of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, also by supporting the role of women peacebuilders.

In addition, Italy co-chairs, along with Albania, Belgium, Norway, and Poland, the Group of Friends on Children and Armed Conflict, which works on raising awareness of how the conflicts impact children. 

In conclusion, Italy’s engagement with the OSCE in 2024 highlights the commitment of Italian authorities to promote and protect human rights, gender equality, and media freedom.