PENALTY

Italian opposition to the death penalty is grounded in history, but
it looks to the future as well. Building on the progress achieved at
home, it was natural for Italy to set out on a worldwide campaign for
a moratorium on the death penalty and to put it at the forefront of its
foreign policy priorities. Italy first tabled a draft resolution on a moratorium
at the United Nations General Assembly in 1994. While the
resolution failed (by only a handful of votes), this outcome confirmed
the importance and the urgency of the campaign. There was wide
support for our initiative, but it became clear that enhanced efforts
were needed to win the hearts and minds of all members of the international
community. Indeed, Italy continued to work on building a
broad international coalition in favour of the moratorium, in close
cooperation with its European partners and with the strong support
of civil society organisations. I personally remember the initiatives
and debates on this topic within Italian civil society, including the
youth movement. It was thanks to these tremendous collective efforts
that the first resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death
penalty was adopted in 2007. This was indeed a historical moment for
the entire international community!
Four more resolutions were approved in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Each resolution has been a landmark for the campaign on the moratorium
as it has focused attention on different aspects of this issue.
For instance, the 2012 resolution called for the first time on states
to progressively restrict executions involving children and pregnant
women. It also more clearly identified the information states should
make available on their use of the death penalty—the number of
people sentenced to death, the number of people on death row and
the number of executions carried out.
The most recent resolution was tabled for approval at the 69th Session
of the United Nations General Assembly in December 2014. Italy
worked with enhanced efforts alongside the cross-regional group of
co-sponsors to obtain the widest possible support for the new resolution.
I am honoured to have contributed to the outreach to other
countries by participating in the supporting event Moving Away from
the Death Penalty: National Leadership, organized by Italy and the
United Nations—along with Benin, Mongolia and Tunisia—during
the 69th General Assembly session in September 2014.
When we first started the campaign for a moratorium on the death
penalty, many looked with scepticism at our efforts and our chances of
success. Some argued that a resolution should not cover a topic that is
still considered by many states to be a matter of domestic jurisdiction;
for others, the non-binding nature of the resolutions meant they were
unlikely to bring about significant change. However, we believed, and
we still do, that every battle for the promotion of human rights is worth
fighting. And it pays off. The increasing number of countries that over
the years have voted in favour of the moratorium (or abstained) shows
a clear international trend in favour of limiting the scope and consequences
of the death penalty. In a true testimony to the importance and
universality of this campaign, the United Nations General Assembly
resolutions have received the support of ever more countries from all
regions of the world, at different stages of economic development, with
populations belonging to different religions.
“POLITICAL LEADERS ARE CALLED TO PLAY A
GUIDING ROLE AND MAKE THE CASE FOR THE
ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY.”
—Matteo Renzi
By emphasising the need to establish a moratorium on executions
with a view to abolishing the death penalty, the resolutions have been
supported by countries that have legally abolished the death penalty
(perhaps a long time ago), as well as by countries that have introduced
a de facto moratorium or intend to do so, while the death penalty
remains part of their legal framework. Many countries have not been
able to abolish the death penalty but have taken steps in this direction.
The campaign for the moratorium has kept the momentum going
and focused the attention of the international community on this
important topic.
One of the lessons we have learned in this experience is that no single
strategy can be considered more successful than others to advance
the movement in favour of the moratorium. However, undoubtedly,
strong leadership is always necessary.
Political leaders have a special responsibility in this regard. First and
foremost, they can build consensus in favour of a moratorium within
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