Policy Updates

From June 9-13, 2025, the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference was hosted in Nice, France, ending with over 170 countries adopting a joint declaration committing to urgent measures for ocean conservation and sustainable use.

The event featured 55 heads of state and government as well as upwards of 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science. The Nice Ocean Action Plan, combining this declaration with voluntary pledges, was said to mark renewed global political will for marine protection.

Key commitments included:

• A European Commission pledge of EUR1 billion (US$1.1 billion) for ocean conservation;
• A pledge by French Polynesia to create the world’s largest marine protected area;
• A pledge by New Zealand of US$52 million for Pacific Ocean governance;
• A pledge by Italy of EUR6.5 million (US$7 million) to strengthen Coast Guard surveillance in marine protected areas and on oil platforms;
• A pledge by Spain to establish five new marine protected areas, aiming to safeguard 25% of its marine territory;
• A pledge by Germany of EUR100 million (US$115 million) for Baltic and North Sea munitions clearance;
• The launch of a Coral Bond for reef conservation by Indonesia, WB, and partners.

37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean, while Canada pledged US$9 million to the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance. UN agencies and global partners also launched a co-design process for One Ocean Finance to unlock billions in new financing from ocean-dependent industries and blue economy sectors.

Nineteen more states ratified the Marine Biodiversity Treaty, bringing total signatures to 136 and ratifications to 50 states, plus the EU. Ten more ratifications are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. The 4^th UN Ocean Conference, in 2028, will be co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.

On June 12, 2025, Italy pledged EUR14 million (US$15 million) through UNDP to enhance Moldova’s social protection systems and energy resilience.

The funds will support energy compensation for vulnerable households, modernize social service delivery infrastructure, and advance energy efficiency and digital transformation. This assistance builds on Italy’s ongoing support for Moldova’s European integration and aligns with national priorities for inclusive development.

On May 28, 2025, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed concluded a successful working visit to Italy, meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Leo XIV, to discuss enhancing collaboration in education, economic reforms, and energy development, strengthening bilateral ties and securing significant development support.

The visit resulted in the signing of agreements in critical areas such as green development, urban infrastructure, and macroeconomic reform, reflecting Italy's continued support for Ethiopia's growth.

Additionally, the Vatican reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ethiopia's educational development, highlighting the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral engagements.

These developments underscore the deepening partnership between Ethiopia and Italy, with a shared focus on sustainable development and regional stability.

On May 16, 2025, Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin announced the renewal and expansion of Italy's financial commitment to the Youth4Climate initiative at the Turin International Book Fair 2025, this renewed funding will support 50 new youth-led climate actions globally through the 2025 Call for Solutions.

Co-led by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the UNDP, Youth4Climate has already supported over 100 projects in developing economies such as India and Colombia. The initiative also features a digital platform with over 25,000 young climate leaders, offering learning and collaboration opportunities.

Youth4Climate is recognized internationally, including in the 2024 G7 Leaders’ Communiqué, as a model for youth engagement in climate policy. As the world prepares for COP30 in Brazil, the initiative exemplifies intergenerational cooperation and Italy’s commitment to fostering innovative, youth-driven climate solutions.

On May 14, 2025, Italy reaffirmed its partnership with the African Development Bank AfDB under the Mattei Plan, aimed at fostering economic and strategic collaborations in Africa.

A delegation led by Stefano Gatti, Director-General for Development Cooperation, and Lorenzo Ortona, head of the Mattei Plan Task Force, visited the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan to discuss initiatives supporting sustainable growth and reducing hunger across the continent.

Key highlights included the operationalization of the RPFF, a multi-donor fund with over US$170 million from Italy and the UAE, focused on climate-aligned infrastructure projects. Additionally, Italy and the AfDB plan to invest up to EUR400million (US$433 million) over five years through the GraF, targeting private sector development.

Senior Vice President of the AfDB, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, praised Italy’s commitment, highlighting the Mattei Plan as a model for future cooperation between Africa and developed nations. Italy’s contributions also include EUR299 million (US$324 million) pledged to the AfDB, reinforcing its role in addressing challenges faced by Africa’s most vulnerable countries.

On April 24, 2025, Italy and the World Bank signed an agreement to increase their financial support to the IDA by around 25%.

This agreement accelerates the Mattei Plan for Africa, which seeks to increase growth through energy investments, infrastructure, and human capital. The agreement also increases its forthcoming subscription of hybrid capital issued by the IBRD.

The new agreement highlights Italy’s intention to work closely with international programs led by institutions like the World Bank and the AfDB. One of the major goals is to help support Mission300 by bringing electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.

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.