In January, Carlo Baldocci, the Italian ambassador to the Kingdom, met with Hala al-Tuwaijri, the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to explore possible opportunities of cooperation. Al-Tuwaijri tweeted: “The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral dialogue and promoting awareness of human rights. We discussed a range of topics of mutual interest, shared experiences and explored opportunities to further enhance cooperation in the field of human rights.”
While this meeting appears to be a step in the direction toward progress, context suggests otherwise.
Firstly, the SHRC has been proven time and again to not be an independent nor credible organization. It was created by the Saudi regime as a faced to whitewash the gross human rights abuses committed in the Kingdom. The United Nations has stated that the Commission is under direct orders from King Salman and his son the Crown Prince. Without verifiable independence, the Commission is incapable of carrying out thorough and effective investigations into abuses committed by Saudi officials. There have been instances of individuals who have suffered abuse at the hands of Saudi authorities, reporting these human rights violations to the Commission, only for the SHRC to silence them and attempt to cover up the abuse.
Italy sending their ambassador to meet with the SHRC, when there is excessive public information pertaining to its lack of credibility, is harmful to its victims. It is an act of validation to a fraudulent organization, undermining every victim’s testament to its incapability to act as an independent investigatory Commission into human rights violations.
Within the past year, Italy has increased its business activity with the Kingdom, conducting the Italy-Saudi Arabia Business Forum in Riyadh in November 2025. At the forum, the two states signed over twenty-two agreements across multiple sectors (eg. energy, infrastructure, defence, transport and technology). Italy has become the Kingdom’s seventh largest partner in trade, and has begun building defence systems for Italy. WeBuild, an Italian construction company, is crucially involved in the completion of the Saudi 2030 Vision, constructing the Riyadh metro, NOEM and underground structures.
The Italian government issued a statement describing the Italian-Saudi relationship as having “blossomed into a vibrant, forward-looking alliance full of energy, vision and prominence… A solid friendship has depended into a partnership that embraces politics… Italy and Saudi Arabia are working together to support a more secure and prosperous regional order – driven by trust, mutual respect and a deep sense of responsibility.” Italy’s statement does not only completely disregard the Kingdom’s systematic gross human rights abuses, but instead proclaims its respect and trust of the Kingdom. Human rights must not be bargained for economic gain.
The 29th Joint Council between the GCC and the EU took place in October, wherein which the promotion of “common objectives as close partners” was underlined by it being “anchored in respect for… international law, including the United Nations Charter, international humanitarian law and the promotion and protection of universal human rights.” Stating that human rights must be respected is void of meaning if real action is not taken. Italy’s increased trade with the Kingdom instead facilitates human rights abuses. By participating so largely in the construction of the 2030 Vision, Italy overlooks the immense abuses that migrant workers suffer within the Kingdom. Italy, and all EU states, must conduct independent assessments of human and labour rights as well as environmental impacts, before concluding any business deals with partners notorious for their human rights abuses.
