The Secretary General of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, today inaugurated in Paris the new headquarters of Italy’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. The mission, reinstated as an autonomous diplomatic post in 2022, reflects Italy’s growing engagement with the United Nations’s specialized agency for education, science and culture.
Italy is among UNESCO’s leading financial contributors and, with 61 inscribed sites, holds the world record for the number of properties on the World Heritage List. In recent years, renewed committment by national institutions and local communities has also enabled a significant expansion of Italy’s presence across all UNESCO networks, from Chairs and Global Geoparks to Biosphere Reserves and Creative Cities. Only a few weeks ago, the country further celebrated the recognition of Italian cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage, a distinction granted for the first time to a national culinary tradition.
The new diplomatic premises have been furnished exclusively with pieces supplied by companies emblematic of Made in Italy. Several brands including Fornasetti, Minotti, Riflessi, Poltrona Frau, Venini, and Carpanelli, served as sponsors, providing iconic pieces from their collections. The Delegation is thus conceived not only as a diplomatic venue but also as a showcase of Italian excellence and an open space for culture, science, and the arts, promoting the Italian model on the international stage.
“This new institutional headquarters shows how much importance Italy gives to UNESCO and proves that diplomatic missions can actively promote national excellence, even in multilateral settings”, Ambassador Guariglia stated.
Alongside the Secretary General and Italy’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Liborio Stellino, the inauguration ceremony was attended by Italy’s Ambassador to France, Emanuela D’Alessandro; Italy’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations based in Paris, Ambassador Luca Sabatucci; other representatives of the Sistema Italia in the French capital, including the Consulate General, the Italian Cultural Institute, ICE and ENIT.
