Policy Updates

On November 25, 2024, AOI, the network of the major NGOs working in international cooperation, published a report marking one year since the official launch of the Mattei Plan,.

The report highlighted the Mattei Plan's major issues:

• Resource constraints: The EUR5.5 billion (US$6 billion) allocated to the Mattei Plan are mainly derived from existing funds. AOI denounces the lack of additional investment and recalls the importance of allocating significant resources to address African challenges;
• Assistance reduction: In 2023, Italy cut bilateral funds for African countries by 32% and humanitarian assistance by 36%, starkly contrasting the continent's growing needs; and
• Migration: AOI  called the idea that more development leads to less migration into question, pointing out that migration does not necessarily decrease correlated to economic growth. Instead, the organization recommended promoting regular and well-managed migration pathways and highlighted diasporas and remittances as tools for development.

AOI outlined recommendations to improve the implementation of the Mattei Plan, including:

• Place local communities at the center of development policy;
• Implement a transformative approach to addressing gender inequality, including promoting the rights of women and girls, with a focus on SRHR and countering GBV and harmful practices such as child marriage and forced genital cutting;
• Invest in renewable energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels;
• Improve access to clean water and sanitation, as they are crucial for health and sustainable development;
• Invest in youth training and employment;
• Ensure transparency in managing financial resources and avoid actions perceived as neocolonialist or predatory; and
• Reinforce the pivotal role of the Italian CSOs representing a strategic bridge between Italy and Africa.

On November 13, 2024, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized Italy's commitment to advancing nuclear fusion at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In her speech, Meloni highlighted the need for a balanced energy mix to support the transition process, stating that all available technologies should be utilized. She emphasized the importance of renewable energy sources and the role of gas, biofuels, hydrogen, CO2 capture, and nuclear fusion.

Meloni underscored the importance of intermediate steps, stating that fourth-generation fission reactors should be considered when pursuing fusion. Meloni said Italy has already allocated more than EUR4 billion (US$4.3 billion) to the Climate Fund in Africa and will continue to support initiatives such as the Green Climate Fund,the Loss and Damage Fund, and continue to promote the involvement of MDBs.

On November 6, 2024, Federica Diamanti was appointed as the new Associate Vice President for External Relations at the IFAD, the world’s fund for transforming agriculture, rural economies, and food systems.

Diamanti is responsible for the fund’s public and political advocacy, including global policy engagement, partnerships, and strategic communications. She also oversees the IFAD replenishment process, whereby Members agree on priorities and targets for each three-year replenishment period.

Diamanti is an international finance and multilateral diplomacy expert with extensive experience in important forums such as the G7, the G20, and MDBs, and subsidized funds. Before joining IFAD, she was Director of Multilateral Banks and Funds at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.

In the past, Diamanti held the position of Executive Director for Italy, the UK, and the Netherlands at the AfDB. She distinguished herself by leading the design and implementation of the capital reform of multilateral banks within the G20, which made significant additional financial resources available for developing countries.

On October 10 and 11, 2024, the G7's Health Ministerial Meeting took place in Ancona, Italy. The discussion focused on three overarching priorities: Global Health Architecture and Pandemic Preparedness and Response, healthy and active aging, and the One Health Approach.

The G7 Health Ministers Communiqué, released at the end of the meeting, highlights the G7's commitment to supporting SDG #3 through universal health coverage, primary health care, and sexual and reproductive health. This also includes maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health, strengthening the global health architecture by investing in PPR, promoting regional manufacturing of health products, and equitable access to quality health services.

The communiqué emphasized the health-related impacts of conflicts with a reference to the crises in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan. Furthermore, in the communiqué, the G7 Ministries committed to continue to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, whose replenishment processes will occur in the upcoming months.

The Civil 7 engagement group, a platform through which civil society can engage with the G7, reacted with a communiqué in which they expressed an appreciation for the re-commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through robust support for the Global Fund in its replenishment next year. This support is crucial to ending the three epidemics as agreed upon in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Finally, the G7 Health Ministers also adopted a policy brief on the opportunities presented by AI for both healthcare providers and patients.

On October 9, 2024, South Korea attended the 11^th Steering Committee Meeting of the Ukraine Donor Platform held in Rome, Italy.

South Korean Representative Byung Ha Jung presented the government’s efforts to support Ukraine’s reconstruction in education, infrastructure, and health and medical care. He also held bilateral meetings with representatives of Ukraine, the EU, the UK, Sweden, and other countries to discuss cooperation. Through this participation, the South Korean government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction.

On October 7, 2024, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the first edition of the Hamburg Conference on Sustainability, a high-level event that addressed global challenges related to sustainability.

Cirielli highlighted Italy's commitment to promoting youth entrepreneurship through the Mattei Plan for Africa, which aims to foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Cirielli presented Italy's Digital Flagship with West Africa-Bankable Project Origination initiative, managed by UNDP and supported by the AICS. The project, carried out in collaboration with UNDP, aimed at the creation of digital ecosystems in Senegal, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Mozambique. Furthermore, Cirielli highlighted the AI Hub for Sustainable Development initiative, a significant project launched under the Italian G7 presidency. This initiative aims to strengthen local AI ecosystems in Africa, with a focus on crucial sectors such as agriculture, health, and energy.

Regarding funding access for youth enterprises, Cirielli highlighted Italian Cooperation's strategic partnership with the AfDB, which has launched innovative co-financing tools in recent months.

On September 25, 2024, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed his commitment to further strengthen relationships with Africa through bilateral and multilateral projects, including the Mattei Plan at the UNGA.

Meloni committed to strengthening cooperation with Latin America, addressing the common factor tying organizations that profit from human and drug trafficking.

Meloni reconfirmed Italian support for Ukraine and stressed that the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine is resulting in destabilizing effects globally.

Meloni expressed Italian interest in ensuring that AI favors of human development, however, noted AI's potential to further verticalize and concentrate wealth.

On September 21, 2024, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron opened a four day meeting for Peace in Paris organized by Italian NGO Sant'egidio.

The meeting was an opportunity to gather women and men of different religions, humanists, and intellectuals to discuss topics ranging from geopolitics to the future of democracy and artificial intelligence.

The meeting ended with a ceremony in front of the Notre Dame de Paris, where leaders from different religions signed a document calling for Peace.

On September 23, 2024, on the margins of the UNGA, it was announced that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will receive the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award.

The Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards is the premier forum for world leaders, diplomats, the C-Suite, and the philanthropic, social, and entertainment communities to celebrate the highest expression of global citizenship. Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who received the award in 2015, is the only Italian prime minister to have recently received the award.

Meloni will be introduced by Chief Engineer at SpaceX and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk.

On June 20, 2024, the G7's Accountability Working Group released the G7 Apulia Progress Report 2024: Advancing Sustainable Development in Africa.

The annual Progress Report is an accountability tool that monitors the implementation of the development policies adopted by the richest countries in the G7 framework.

The report reviewed progress on G7 development commitments from 2015-2022, showing increased ODA flows to Africa despite regional and global crises. G7 cooperation supported key areas such as economic transformation, food security, climate resilience, and gender equality. Significant initiatives included the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Global Shield against Climate Risks, and the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa. The report emphasized the need for enhanced G7 cooperation with African partners, especially in addressing economic and climate challenges.

The Italian G7 Presidency selected Africa as the focus for the Report, recognizing the continent's significant potential for sustainable development and its crucial role as a partner in advancing progress towards achieving the SDGs, Agenda 2063, and the Paris Agreement.