On the occasion of the adoption of the report of the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Italy at the United Nations in Geneva on 30 June 2025, a reception was held at Villa Rigot, the headquarters of the Global Cities Hub.
Jointly organized by the Global Cities Hub and the Permanent Mission of Italy, in collaboration with the Geneva Human Rights Platform, the event brought together diplomats, local government representatives, and human rights experts. In the presence of H.E. Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in Geneva, and Minister Giovanni Battista Iannuzzi, President of Italy’s Interministerial Committee on Human Rights (CIDU), the reception offered a moment to celebrate the closing of Italy’s fourth UPR cycle.
It also provided a platform to highlight recent Italian-led initiatives aimed at strengthening local engagement in human rights monitoring, including the outcomes of the Bologna Expert Roundtable on Data Planning and Collection by National Mechanisms for Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRFs): The Role of Local and Regional Governments and National Statistical Systems. The outcome of the Bologna Expert Roundtable led to the recent publication of the Academy Briefing No. 25, Localizing Multilateralism: The Role of Local and Regional Governments in Advancing Human Rights and the SDGs, calling for stronger involvement of local and regional governments in national human rights and SDG follow-up and review.
