The United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) was pleased to welcome the Foreign Ministers of Italy, H. E. Antonio Tajani, of Bulgaria, H.E. Mariya Gabriel, and of North Macedonia, H.E. Bujar Osmani, for a presentation and tour of the Organization’s Base.
Director of UNGSC, Giovanna Ceglie, was joined by Walid Ibrahim, Coordinator of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot / World Food Programme (UNHRD /WFP), a co-located entity on the UNGSC Brindisi base, in greeting the delegation.
Presentations highlighted the role of the Base as an integrated hub for peace, security, and humanitarian operations, leveraging its strategic location, as well as UNGSC’s Supply Chain and Digital Technology capabilities.
Noting UNGSC Brindisi’s accessibility to road, rail, and waterway, as well as its potential for expansion due to space and infrastructure, Director Ceglie emphasized the Organization’s successful track record in global crisis response. Notable examples include the delivery of medical goods and vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic; personal protection equipment following the earthquake in Türkiye; convoys to support UN entities at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine; and humanitarian supplies to Sudan.
The Foreign Ministers expressed appreciation for the work of UNGSC in the field, as well as its vision to serve as a “multistakeholder innovation hub” as noted by Minister Gabriel of Bulgaria, who further emphasized the importance of coordination between the United Nations and the European Union to achieve shared goals.
On behalf of the host country, Minister Tajani reiterated Italy's dedication to the United Nations and support for UNGSC’s presence in Brindisi.
The high-level visit concluded a series of institutional activities in the city of Brindisi, building on the momentum of the pan-European Corridor 8, which links the Italian ports of Brindisi and Bari to Western Balkan and Eastern European nations, and “brings the Balkans closer to the European Union,” in the words of the Italian Minister.
UNGSC thanks the Foreign Ministers for their visit and expresses appreciation to the host country of Italy for its vision and continued close cooperation.
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