Voluntary Contributions
Voluntary contributions are funds that Italy uses to finance specific initiatives in given developing areas and countries. They may be allocated to the recipient countries directly or by means of multilateral cooperation programmes.
These are one of Italy’s preferred channels for financing development aid, namely through UN Agencies, since the latter are best quipped for operating in post-war situations and humanitarian crisis.
Our multilateral cooperation activities are completed on a strategic and programmatic perspective with our representation on the decisions bodies of the main international Organizations.
Italy and UNESCO
Italy is one of the main contributors to UNESCO’s multilateral cooperation activities, namely in the fields of Education, safeguarding cultural, natural and intangible heritage, human rights, freedom of expression and of the press.
As far as safeguarding cultural heritage is concerned, Italy mainly focuses on the Middle East, whereas we mainly support education projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, where UNESCO often has no other contributors.
In this specific sector, the Italian permanent Delegation to UNESCO plays a key role in helping its Authorities define which initiatives to support and to follow up on each project’s advancements.
