Italy

I. Statement of Commitment [page 5]

….The present Plan is meant to be an instrument of the commitments and efforts of the Government for the adoption of political and legislative measures at national, regional and international level in order to ensure the respect of human rights within economic activities.

Italy is therefore committed to promote and carry out key-actions to provide that, within the domestic legislative, institutional and operational framework regulating economic activities, human rights are conceived as a priority so that the eventual adverse impact of business on these rights is properly addressed.

This approach, in line with Italy’s important actions in this sense, will reflect also in Italy’s external action, by encouraging and favouring the adoption of adequate measures to foster respect of human rights in business activities at regional and international level.

To protect human rights, Italy undertakes to:

– Continue to protect, promote universal respect for, and observance of, all human rights, fundamental freedoms and non-discrimination principles, with special attention to the rights of most vulnerable groups, such as women, children, disabled, LGBTI people, migrants and asylum seekers, and persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities;

– Coordinate the implementation of the present NAP with the 17 Goals of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and engage for a stronger national adherence to human rights and sustainable development in its three dimension – economic, social and environmental – in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG number 5,8,10,16,17);

– Reinforce, cooperate with and develop industrial relations between social partners and multi-stakeholders initiatives to achieve better implementation of human rights in the conduction of economic activities, in specific business sectors and along the entire supply chain;

– Encourage companies, also in view of the updating of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, in line with the commitments undertaken with the Agenda 2030 and the role that the private sector will be called to play in its implementation, to voluntarily commit themselves at national, regional and international level to prevent and redress potential human rights adverse impacts; and to realise the goal of a decent work for all, as set out in SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth); and to enhance the use of indicators of quality, sustainable development, equality and gender.

IV. Government Responses: 

Current Activities and Future Commitments [page 10]

A. Foundational Principles

Guiding Principle 1

(…) Italy is fully committed to the protection and promotion of human rights. The Italian Constitution, within the framework of the basic principles of human dignity, equality and solidarity, sets forth several provisions ensuring the right to individual freedom, the right to equal treatment, the right to freedom of conscience and worship, as well as the right to freedom of expression and association, the right to a fair trial, the right to health.

The national legislative and institutional framework is in compliance with the obligations and engagements undertaken within the systems of the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe and the OECD. Italy acknowledges all internationally recognized human rights, as enshrined in the core international and regional documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; Italy also signed the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and related ILO conventions, and the OECD Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises. Recently, the Government has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure (2015) as well as the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (2013).

Italy, in line with its undertakings at International level, recognizes the need of further improvements and commits to fill the legislative gaps still existing with refer to specific human rights protection mechanisms and instruments. To this purpose, the Government will:

• Expedite, in agreement with the Parliament, the process of establishment of an independent National Human Rights Institution in adherence with the 1993 Paris Principles and the approval of the draft law introducing the crime of torture in the Penal Code, in line with the 1984 UN Convention on the prohibition of Torture, and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
• Conduct a comprehensive overview and monitoring of the implementation in the domestic legal framework of legally binding international and regional human rights instruments and soft law standards, with particular focus on human rights and business;
• Effectively implement the Recommendations received and accepted under the Universal Periodic Review;
• Promote the adoption (or improvement of the existing ones) of fair and ethical labour recruitment procedures by business, both at national and international level, and improve the implementation of regulations on the role of intermediaries and of the provisions of incentives for regular work contracts and agreements;
• Strengthen mutual cooperation and support to trade union organizations, human rights defenders, non-governmental organizations and civil society, in consideration of their essential role in the promotion and protection of human rights;
• Promote awareness raising and information campaigns on the topic of the relationship between economic activities and human rights, through educational programmes and activities for the youth; in particular, in line with the recently enacted School Reform, education and training programmes on these issues will represent a structural component of all the initiatives of the “School-Work Alternation Project” and will be agreed with Ministry of Education, school staff representatives and students;
• Encourage the growth of a human rights culture through the promotion of art exhibitions and films retrospectives on human rights issues and support cultural initiatives focused on awareness raising on legality, such as the ‘Museo delle Regole’ in Naples;
• With regard to the process of internationalisation of Italian enterprises and with the aim of encouraging virtuous behaviour of enterprises the Government is also committed to make support and incentive mechanisms coherent with the objectives of the present Plan, in cooperation with Confindustria, Unioncamere e the network of the Italian bilateral Chambers of Commerce abroad.