At the end of the Second World War, Italy was not among the founding members of the United Nations. Its admission was subsequently delayed for a decade, against the backdrop of reciprocal vetoes by the United States and the Soviet Union over the admission of new Member States. Italy was officially admitted to the United Nations on 14 December 1955, together with 15 other countries.
An active member of the principal organs of the United Nations
Over the years, Italy’s commitment to the United Nations has been reflected in its regular presence in leading positions within the Organization’s principal organs.
The year 1965 was particularly significant. Amintore Fanfani, a former Prime Minister of Italy, was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly for its twentieth session. That same year, on 4 October 1965, Pope Paul VI became the first pontiff to address the General Assembly. In his historic speech, he quoted John F. Kennedy: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind”, before making his celebrated appeal: “No more war, war never again!”.
Italy has been elected a non-permanent member of the Security Council for seven terms: 1959–1960, 1971–1972, 1975–1976, 1987–1988, 1995–1996, 2007–2008 and 2017. The most recent term lasted only one year, following an agreement with the Netherlands to split the two-year term after a prolonged voting deadlock.
Within the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Italy held the Presidency in 1999. The country has also served 11 terms as a member since the Council was established in 1946, most recently for the 2025–2027 term. Italy was elected with 183 votes out of 190, the strongest result among the countries of the Western European and Others Group in that election.
In October 2025, Italy was elected a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2026–2028 term, marking its fourth term on the Council since its establishment in 2006.
Peacekeeping
Italy is among the leading Western contributors of military and police personnel to United Nations peace operations. It is also the seventh-largest financial contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget according to the scale of assessments applicable to the 2024–2025 period. The Italian Government has confirmed the deployment of Italian personnel in 2026 to several missions operating under United Nations mandates across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, contributing to peacekeeping and the stabilization of crisis-affected areas.
- UNIFIL in Lebanon: Italy’s largest commitment, with around 740 military and police personnel according to the available reference data, making it the second-largest contingent after Indonesia. Major General Diodato Abagnara serves as UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander.
- UNFICYP in Cyprus.
- UNMOGIP between India and Pakistan.
- MINURSO in Western Sahara.
Financial contributions
Italy has paid in full its assessed contribution of approximately $90.1 million to the United Nations regular budget for 2026, ranking seventh among the largest contributors worldwide.
In 2024, Italy’s contributions to the United Nations system, across different forms of funding, exceeded $1.1 billion.
Procurement from Italian companies
Italy ranks as the 19th-largest supplier country to the United Nations in terms of procurement, with contracts worth $345 million in 2025 and around 8,000 suppliers registered on the United Nations procurement portal. The main sectors are services, particularly management and transport services, followed by medical and healthcare goods. The principal UN entities purchasing from Italian suppliers are FAO ($88.8 million), WFP ($54.6 million), the United Nations Secretariat ($40.5 million), IFAD ($35.3 million) and UNDP ($25.8 million).
Italy’s relationship with the United Nations system therefore encompasses not only political engagement and financial contributions, but also a significant presence of Italian suppliers in the global United Nations procurement market.
Italian personnel
According to United Nations system data as at 31 December 2024, 4,045 Italian nationals serve in United Nations agencies and organizations around the world, making Italians the third most represented nationality among UN system personnel, after nationals of the United States and France. Italy hosts 5,070 United Nations personnel on its territory, making it the third-largest host country after Switzerland and the United States.
Recognition of Italian culture
Italy has 62 properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In December 2025, UNESCO also inscribed “Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Italy was also the first country in the world to establish a task force dedicated to protecting cultural heritage in crisis situations, known as the “Blue Helmets for Culture”. Promoted by the Italian Government, the operational unit is designed to intervene in areas affected by emergencies, including natural disasters and human-caused crises, in order to safeguard archaeological sites, cultural institutions and cultural property, and to combat the international trafficking of illicitly removed cultural property.
The UN system in Italy
The United Nations system has a presence across Italy, with agencies and offices located in several cities. The UN presence in the country includes agencies, institutes, research and training centres, and operational facilities active in a range of areas of international cooperation.
- Rome is home to three United Nations agencies headquartered in the capital and dedicated to food and agricultural development: the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the WFP (World Food Programme) and IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development).
- Turin is a hub for United Nations training and research, where officials, managers and experts from around the world receive training. The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) will be integrated into the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) as part of the establishment of the new United Nations Institute for Capability and Learning Innovation (UNICLI), scheduled to take effect from 1 January 2027. The city will continue to host UNICRI (United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute) and the International Training Centre of the ILO (International Labour Organization).
- Brindisi hosts the United Nations Logistics Base (UNLB) and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), which can dispatch essential relief supplies anywhere in the world within 24–48 hours.
- Trieste hosts the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, which places particular emphasis on supporting developing countries.
- Florence hosts the UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti, dedicated to strategic research, analysis and data collection on the situation and rights of children and adolescents worldwide.
- Perugia hosts the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), which monitors issues related to freshwater resources.
- Venice hosts the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, which promotes scientific and cultural cooperation across South-East Europe and the Mediterranean.