Blankets for Italy
by Umberto Cancellieri
When Jim Grant took over from Harry Labouisse as UNICEF Executive Director on 1 January 1980, the Italian contribution to UNICEF was only USD 400,000 per year. His arrival seemed to coincide with Italy’s aspiration to assume a more active role in development and humanitarian issues. Jim saw the potential and regularly visited Italy. His visits included meetings with key Government officials, with parliamentarians, media and civil society.
The Italian National Committee for UNICEF under the able leaderships of Aldo Farina and Allegra Morelli played a crucial role in supporting and contributing to its strategic partnership and alliance with UNICEF. With its dedicated staff and the Committee’s decentralized presence and outreach, virtually all Italians had heard about UNICEF and the “Bambini del Mondo '' through a series of social mobilization activities and events.
If my memory serves me well, the earthquake in Irpinia in November 1980 took Italians by surprise. Winter was almost there, temperatures at night were close to zero. The Government response to the earthquake was extremely slow.
The Italian National Committee advocated strongly that something had to be done for children. They contacted us in UNICEF Geneva. Several calls were made to UNIPAC, the erstwhile name of the Supply Division warehouse in Copenhagen. UNIPAC agreed to the immediate release of 60,000 blankets. Within 24 hours the blankets were delivered by truck on site to the families in Irpinia. It received considerable public attention.
Media coverage in the peninsula and the Government enthusiastically saluted this prompt action by UNICEF. It was a big celebration until someone asked, “la question qui fache” (the angry question). Who is paying for these blankets?
While the cost was not enormous, the Italian National Committee had no funds for it nor did we have a budget for it in the Geneva External Relations Group. The case was eventually forwarded to the office of the UNICEF Executive Director.
Now, through this article, I launch an appeal to colleagues who were in New York or Copenhagen during that time to clarify and write the ending of this story. What was decided? And who ultimately paid for the blankets?
In a nutshell, this “blanket story” strongly projected UNICEF as a reliable partner and contributed significantly to strengthening the UNICEF and Italian partnership. The Government of Italy made substantial increases in funding to UNICEF, the Innocenti Centre was opened and an Executive Board session was held in Rome in 1984. The latter was the last time that the Board met outside New York.
As a concluding remark, I would like to stress the fact that UNICEF has in its DNA, an incredible force for emergency and capacity to meet logistic challenges. Its legacy continues when I see the role UNICEF plays with its many partners in the procurement and distribution of COVID vaccines in addition to professional support to national immunization and development of decentralized plans for implementation at local levels.
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