Sebastiano Cardi was named the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York on 19 July 2013.
A career diplomat with over thirty years of experience both at home and abroad, he comes to New York after serving as Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rome (September 2010 to September 2013).
His previous post was at the Italian Embassy in Washington as Deputy Chief of Mission (May 2007 – September 2010). In August 2006 he was appointed Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister for the Reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Promoted to the rank of Minister Plenipotentiary in 2004, Cardi served at the General Directorate for Multilateral Political Affairs and Human Rights at the Ministry in Rome. In November 2001 he became Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the Italian Senate. After his promotion to the rank of First Counsellor, in 2000 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Press and Information Department of the Foreign Ministry.
From July 1994 to December 1998 Cardi was Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations in New York, where he served as a political officer and the Mission spokesperson. He was a member of the Italian delegation to the UN Security Council during Italy’s two-year term as a non-permanent member (1995-96).
In January 1991 he was appointed to the General Secretariat of the Ministry in Rome. Previously he served as Deputy Consul at the Consulate General of Italy in Paris (1987-1991). In October 1984 he was appointed First Secretary (Economic and Commercial) at the Embassy of Italy in Beijing.
Cardi attended an advanced training course at the Diplomatic Institute (December 1992 to December 1993), where he had also done his initial training (October 1982 to April 1983) when he was appointed to the Department for Development Cooperation.
Cardi joined the Foreign Service in 1981, and took a leave of absence in 1981-1982 to fulfill his military service obligations.
While in the military, he held the rank of Second-Lieutenant, Cavalry (1981). He was awarded the decoration of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic in 2008.
Born in Rome on 15 November 1956, Sebastiano Cardi received his degree in Political Science from the University of Rome on 11 July 1980.
Contact Information
Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations
885 2nd Ave., 49th fl.
(One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza),
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 486-9191
Fax: (212) 486-1036
Email: info.italyun@esteri.it
Website: http://www.italyun.esteri.it/rappresentanza_onu