The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
'Cabrini' film lead and Gomorrah star Cristiana Dell’Anna travelled to Geneva on Friday to highlight the age-old dangers confronting migrants – and the astonishing Italian missionary who travelled to New York City's slums at the turn of the last century, determined to protect them.
“Being from southern Italy, the migration issue is very close to my heart. Southern Italians have always emigrated throughout history, especially during the Second World War and I have in my family people who have emigrated and I am an emigrant myself,” Ms. Dell’Anna said, ahead of a special screening of her film at the Palace of Nations in the Swiss city.
Inspired by the true story of Italian nun, Mother Francesca Cabrini, who Pope Leo XIII tasked with helping vulnerable migrants arriving in the United States at the turn of the last century, her gripping account offers an uncomfortable perspective on the discrimination and racism reserved for impoverished and dark-skinned Italian migrants yet to learn English in the already booming city – where Italian street children are denigrated as “monkeys”.
Painfully accurate
“It is very accurate – in fact, this one particular shot I'm thinking of, of some children, sitting on just by a little wall - it's inspired by a picture that was taken during those times,” Ms. Dell’Anna said.
“So, it is very accurate and everything you see in the movie’s actually happened at some point.”
Despite serious lifelong sickness and with the help of other Italian nuns and volunteers in the notorious and often dangerous Five Points slum, Mother Cabrini took in orphans, fed, clothed and educated them.
She was canonized for her work in 1946 – the first US citizen to be made a saint.
“We've forgotten how to be inspired and I just think that Cabrini could very much aid that idea because it's a true story, it's a very compelling one,” Ms. Dell’Anna told UN News at the event, co-organized by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the Permanent Mission of Italy and the Permanent Observer of the Holy See.
“And I just thought that starting a dialogue in that sense and being here, it could be a good starting point to maybe try and ground again certain ideas, or ideals and principles that should be our guidance through our daily life for everyone.”
Trading places
She added: “I often ask myself, ‘Where does the migrant stand today in a world where we - it's easier to trade merchandise and it's easy for things to travel around the world rather than human beings?’ We should probably reflect on these issues and understand where we place humankind compared to objects.”
Latest UN estimates indicate that there are at least 281 million international migrants around the world, a number that has increased over the past five decades, with people continuing to move from their homelands driven by poverty, conflict and climate change.
To accept the divisive and hateful rhetoric that this age-old phenomenon continues to generate is to forget our humanity, Ms. Dell’Anna maintains.
“I think we should probably learn a lesson from this movie: migrants are not really doing well, especially in southern Italy, in the whole country, I'm afraid to say. The way we treat migrants has changed radically and they've become more of a threat rather than an integral part of society.”
Dignified approach
Thanks to a painstakingly researched backstory that covers the arc of Mother Cabrini’s life and campaigning work in rural northern Italy to her struggles against authority – and rank hostility in New York, Cabrini “gives us an opportunity – gave me an opportunity - to tell a little bit of what we went through when we were the ones migrating. Now, we are the ones actually denying the right of dignity, which in my opinion, is a universal right and should be recognized as such”, Ms. Dell’Anna explained.
Asked what Mother Cabrini herself might have made of the film depicting her mission, with its sumptuous and at times soul-destroying cinematography, Ms. Dell’Anna replied confidently: “She would be really pleased that we are telling the story. Not because of her, but because of the other huge main character that is in the story, which is the migrant.
“She’d be really pleased, because this is a very pertinent and contemporary issue…she was very pragmatic [so] she probably would say something like, ‘Press on.’”
TRT: 04’53”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 17 January 2025 – UN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
- Exterior medium-wide, Cabrini lead actress Cristiana Dell’Anna walking with Daniel Johnson from UNTV Geneva in flag alley.
- Exterior wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna with Daniel Johnson in flag alley.
- Exterior medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna with Daniel Johnson in flag alley.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “Being from southern Italy, the migration issue is very close to my heart. Southern Italians have always emigrated throughout history, especially during the Second World War and I have in my family people who have emigrated and I am an emigrant myself.”
- Wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking past UN Palace of Nations under renovation with Daniel Johnson.
- Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking inside grounds of UN Palace of Nations with Daniel Johnson.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “This movie gives us an opportunity – gave me an opportunity - to tell a little bit of what we went through when we were the ones migrating and now we are the ones actually denying the right of dignity, which in my opinion, is a universal right and should be recognized as such.”
- Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna walking inside UN Palace of Nations with Daniel Johnson and posing for a photograph.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I often ask myself, ‘Where does the migrant stand today in a world where we - it's easier to trade merchandise and it's easy for things to travel around the world rather than human beings; I wonder, we should probably reflect on these issues and understand where we place humankind compared to objects.”
- Wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna addressing audience in Room XIX.
- Medium-wide, trucking shot of Room XIX audience with Cristiana Dell’Ana shown speaking on big screen.
- Medium-wide, Room XIX audience applauding.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I think we should probably learn a lesson from this movie. Migrants are not really doing well, especially in southern Italy, in the whole country, I'm afraid to say. The way we treat migrants has changed radically and they've become more of a threat rather than an integral part of society as it should be.”
- Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “It is very accurate - in fact, this one particular shot I'm thinking of, of some children, sitting on just by a little wall - it's inspired by a picture that was taken during those times. So, it is very accurate and everything you see in the movie’s actually happened at some point.”
- Medium, audience in profile.
- Medium-wide, Cristiana Dell’Anna holding flowers, applause.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “We've forgotten how to be inspired and I just think that Cabrini could very much aid that idea because it's a true story, it's a very compelling one.”
- Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I just I just thought that starting a dialogue in that sense and being here, it could be a good starting point to maybe try and ground again certain ideas, or ideals and principles that should be - they should be - our guidance through our daily life for everyone.”
- Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Cristiana Dell’Anna: “I think she would be really pleased that we are telling the story. Not because of her, but because of the other huge main character that is in the story, which is the migrant. She’d be really pleased, because this is a very pertinent and contemporary issue that she would still address and she would still fight for, so the sole fact that we are talking about it, she probably be saying something like - she was very pragmatic - she would say, ‘Press on.’”
- Various, scenes from official Cabrini trailer.
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WFP
‘Super El Niño’ and converging crises worsen hunger in South Sudan and across the region - WFP
South Sudan’s hunger crisis is becoming increasingly catastrophic as violence, extreme weather and dwindling aid leave millions without enough food, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.