26 May 2009 :

'Italy and other countries are working towards a new resolution against the death penalty to present to the United Nations General Assembly,’ Foreign Undersecretary Vincenzo Scotti told the fourth International Congress of Justice Ministers. The congress was promoted by the Sant'Egidio Community and held at the Campidoglio in Rome.
'Italy is convinced that international relations aren’t only a question of foreign offices, but also the development of civil society as well as religious and cultural sensitivities,' he continued.
For the first time, on December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly approved the universal moratorium on capital punishment. Scotti explained that the success of this vote derived from the efforts of civil society, which draws on sensitivities and cultural diversity.
Scotti believes that we are still at the beginning of the journey, because the objective was, and remains, the abolition of the death penalty.
The next event will be the World Congress in Geneva against the death penalty (February 2010) where the new UN Resolution for a Universal Moratorium and the abolition of capital punishment will be presented.