Maurizio Massari | |
|---|---|
 Maurizio Massari at the UN Tech Over in 2025 | |
| Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations | |
| Assumed office 19 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Mariangela Zappìa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1959 Naples |
| Nationality | Italian |
Maurizio Massari is an Italian diplomat and the current Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York,a position he has held since 19 July 2021,succeeding Mariangela Zappia. [1]
Massari was born in Naples,Italy,in 1959. He graduated in 1982 with a degree in Political Science from the University of Naples "L’Orientale",specializing in Eastern European affairs.
In 1998,he obtained a Fellowship Certificate from the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in Cambridge,Massachusetts.
He later earned a Master’s Degree in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington,D.C.,in 2001. An excerpt from his thesis was published in The International Spectator under the title “US Foreign Policy Decision‐Making during the Clinton Administration.”
He is fluent in Italian,English,and French;he has a good command of Russian and a basic knowledge of German. [2]
An ambassador with over 40 years of diplomatic experience,Maurizio Massari currently serves as the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York.
He is Vice President of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly,and since December 2023,a member of the Advisory Group of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF),established by the UN General Assembly within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),with a three-year mandate.
In June 2025,he was elected by acclamation as Chair of the UN First Committee,responsible for disarmament and international security matters,with a one-year term beginning in September 2025,during the 80th session of the General Assembly.
He previously served as Vice President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) (July 2022 –July 2023) and Vice President of the Executive Board of UN Women,the UN’s principal agency for women's rights (2023). Since 2021,he has been an International Gender Champion.
He also served as Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union (June 2016 –May 2021) and as Special Envoy of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Mediterranean and the Middle East (2012–2013). [2] [3]
Massari joined the Italian diplomatic service in 1985 and was promoted to the rank of Ambassador on 20 January 2015. Over his four-decade career,he has served in multiple key posts both abroad and within the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
He has been married to Mary Lorefice since 2001. [4] He is a supporter of the Napoli football team. [5]
Massari has been invited to speak at numerous seminars,conferences,and academic events across Italy,Europe,and the United States. He is the author of several books and scholarly contributions,including:
He has also published articles,essays and opinion pieces,in both Italian and English,on Russian foreign policy and internal developments,EU foreign policy,the Western Balkans,and the Caucasus - his most frequent areas of analysis,including:
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2024),awarded by the President of the Italian Republic. [2]