The exhibition “Growing Peace” has opened in New York. The exhibition guides the international audience through the 70 years of the Italian Air Force’s participation in peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations.
It was inaugurated Monday, April 17, at the Palace of Glass United Nations, in New York, the multimedia exhibition titled “Growing Peace”(cultivating peace), curated by Dr. Federica Dal Forno. Co-organized by the Italian Mission to the UN, the Ministry of Defense and the Air Force, in the presence of the Under-Secretary-General of the UN for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, The exhibition aims to guide the international public through the 70 years of the Italian Air Force’s participation in peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations, known as the “Operation Phoenix”. Peacekeeping, of which Italy is the first contributor in terms of troops among the Western countries.
“Today we tell a touching story of courage, professionalism and duty to promote peace in many international theaters, from the Mediterranean to the Middle East, from Lebanon to Afghanistan and Iraq, and more recently to bring relief to the populations. of Ukraine on the occasion of the 2020 flood and those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in 2023. Our Air Force is one of the highest symbols of Italy’s commitment to multilateralism and peace”,’ he emphasized’Ambassador Maurizio Massari at the opening of the inaugural ceremony.
Following this, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General by Air Team Luca Goretti, Taking the floor, he recalled how the service rendered by the women and men of the Air Force stands out for its unwavering moral rectitude, empathy, and closeness shown to the populations affected by the war.“Peace is the fuel that fuels our planes and our hearts and drives them to action; a tangible, daily goal that is motivation for every sacrifice.”.
“On March 28, 2023 the Air Force – General Goretti continued – celebrated its 100th anniversary, honouring a rewarding history of challenges and achievements that have made us an effective and reliable Armed Force at the service of Peace and Security worldwide. Today we are here to reaffirm our commitment to these principles and to express our gratitude to the United Nations and to all the countries that contribute with their troops to maintaining peace in the world.”.
The General’s speech finally concluded with a tribute to the Italian aviators and to all those who have contributed to the development of aviation in Italy. peacekeepers UN personnel in service. In particular, among the extreme sacrifices made by the personnel of the Blue Helmets for peace in the world, the Chief of Staff wanted to remember the’Kindu massacre, In Congo, where on November 11, 1961, during the First mission On behalf of the United Nations, thirteen aviators of the then 46th Aerobrigata di Pisa lost their lives when they landed at Kindu airport to supply the Malian blue helmets and were barbarically attacked by rebel troops of the Congolese National Army; and the downing, on September 3, 1992, during a humanitarian mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, The crash of a transport plane in which all the crew members tragically lost their lives. The aircraft, flying from Split to Sarajevo under United Nations mandate, was tasked with transporting medical supplies and humanitarian aid to the local population under siege, but just minutes after landing it was hit by surface-to-air missiles that caused its explosion in flight and its crash on the summit of Mount Zec.
The beating heart of the exhibition, a 70-year-old olive tree – as many as the years of the Air Force’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations – how many? universal symbol of peace and the effort of our aviators and airwomen in planting “seeds of peace” in the world.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the show “Growing Peace“Open until April 28, General Goretti visited the UN Defence Officer, Gen. Div. Fabrizio Parrulli, to the Permanent Representative to the same Organization, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, and to the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for Operations Peacekeeping, Ambassador Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
UN missions:
The Missions of Peacekeeping The UN in the world is authorized by Security Council.
Italy is the first supplier of Caschi Blu among Western countries (about 1,100 units) and the seventh contributor to the budget of the European Union. Peacekeeping.
Over the years, Italy has participated in 29 UN missions. Currently, Italian military personnel are deployed in UN missions in:
Italy is among the Troop/Police Contributing Country (T/PCC) which:
Italy is also very active in training the military and police personnel destined to serve in peacekeeping operations. In particular, the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) Vicenza has trained more than 10,000 police units from more than 130 countries since 2006 to date. In June 2018, the Department for the Peacekeeping The UN and the CoESPU have signed a document defining areas and modalities for mutual cooperation.
Our country actively contributes to the debate within the UN on how to improve the Peacekeeping. Italy has therefore supported the initiative from the very beginning.“Action for Peacekeeping plus” (A4P+), launched by the Secretary-General in March 2018 to relaunch the image of the Peacekeeping which is an essential instrument for peace and to make it more effective in the face of today's challenges.
Always within the framework of A4P+, our participation in the latest Ministerial Conference on Peacekeeping (Seoul, December 7, 2021) where the commitments for 2022 were presented. Italy continues to be a Champion, in the two senses of “convener”and of“implementor”, for the following thematic areas (and sub-areas): Women, Peace and Security; Performance and accountability, with specific reference to training and capacity building; Partnership, in favor of developing the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces;“Conduct of operations and personnel”, regarding the management of the environmental impact of field operations and the prevention and combating of the phenomenon of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), which is also reflected in the coherent role played in the C34 Report.
Italy has a particularly prominent role in reducing the environmental impact of United Nations peace operations. In December 2017, at the Italian initiative, the Security Council adopted a press statement in which it for the first time recognized the importance of reducing the environmental footprint in the field of UN peace operations. A few months later, in February 2018, Italy and Bangladesh launched the “Group of Friends for leading on environmental management in the field”(“LEAF”), in support of the environmental strategy developed by the UN. Group of Friends It recorded the accession of 26 countries plus the European Union.
On the subject of “Safety and Security of Peacekeepers”A new one was recently created based on input from China Group of Friends, to which Italy has joined along with 48 other countries.
Our country hosts the Global Service Centre of the United Nations (UNGSC), The structure – unique in the world – on which the logistics of the Peacekeeping Operations and the Special Political Missions of the United Nations depend, from the handling of personnel (military and civilian), vehicles, equipment and equipment to the maintenance of vehicles, information technology and telecommunications, professional training, and the management of the environmental impact of UN operations. The UNSC celebrated its 25th anniversary on December 19, 2019, in the presence of Secretary-General Guterres, who arrived in Italy for his first official visit to our country. On that occasion, Guterres was able to personally verify the standards of excellence achieved by the Center over the years, and the constant commitment of Italy in ensuring its development.
