Angelo Antonio Toriello

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Early life

Angelo Antonio Toriello was born in October 1962 at Behren-les-Forbach, a small commune of the Moselle district in the Lorraine region of France to Italian parents. Toriello is the youngest of the family. His father, Donato, was a miner who was involved in the local union organization for miner’s rights. After a serious leg injury at work Donato was appointed as a diplomatic counsellor to the Italian immigration office that controlled the manpower employment through the national agency in that region of France, to legally regulate the movement and allocation to the mines of Italian emigrants there. In 1967, Toriello’s father decided to return with all the family to Italy to his native place, (Pandola of Mercato San Severino, south of Italy), where he and his wife invested in the restaurant business, becoming a well-known restauranter and hotelier in the area under the nickname of “Donato o’ francese” (the Frenchman).

For that, and because of the French cultural influence, Toriello acquired the nickname of “Angelo o’ francese” as an inheritance from his father.

After studying electronic at Salerno’s Professional Institute, he moved to Rome at the age of 19. Toriello enrolled on a movie director course organized by a private academy of art. The night life of the “dolce vita” at Rome enchanted Toriello enough to boost his ambition which kept him in show-business for almost 5 years. He appeared as a singer in the TV program “Quelli della notte”, broadcast by RAI2 national Italian TV. Beside a diploma in electronic but, Toriello seems having dedicated part of his life studying different subjects (philosophy in criminology and international relations) through distance education, eventually obtaining a degree in Sociology at the Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, India.

In 1992 Toriello became a Franciscan Friar - although at the age of 13, he had endured abuse by his religious teacher whilst following his vocation; a priest who supposed to be the spiritual leader of the young seminarists of the local parish and who some time later was charged of pedophilia. In 1996 he was forced to quit the Franciscans as he publicly exposed the religious institution deviations. Toriello launched a toll-free line centre for victims of child abuse, which was soon forced to close by pressure from the church.

In 1996, after the monkshood experience, Toriello traveled in India where he started a business venture by the name of Project Mystic Connection (PMC), and afterward United Beings (formerly United Religions), a socio-humanitarian organization. However, it was through such business structure that he developed, realized and supported different social projects, by mainly campaigning to fight child abuses and shoring-up women rights, marking the continuation of his social activism since 1996. In 2001-2002, after having endured life attempts and other forms of violations, he departed from India, back to Europe.

In 2005 Toriello anchored in Italy, entering the politic by siding with the Italian Socialist Party headed by Bobo Craxi. After a year of militancy in the party, he was elected provincial secretary of the Salerno’s province by holding the seat until 2008.

The political experience, probably, matured within Toriello the conviction to rather stick to his social activism life. In fact, such decision led him to interacting with the African Continent – a shifting already initiated in 2007 while he was still involved with the politic and in the same time with the Corpi Sanitari Internazionali an Italian NGO recognized by UN, and which granted him the honorific position of General and International Relationship coordinator.

Since then, Toriello stuck cooperating with different African countries and in different capacities, paving - this - his way towards the diplomatic carrier. His perseverance was rewarded by eventually being firstly appointed as ambassador at-large, and at later stage as special adviser to the Permanent Mission of Sao Tome and Principe to the United Nations (present position). A nominee decreed by the country’s President, Manuel Pinto Da Costa.

Early career

Toriello’s diplomatic voyage starts in India in 1998 after meeting D. R. Karthikeyan (CBI and NHR former director, India), a cooperation which linked him to voluntarily collaborating with the national UN offices established in the capital. After many years of India, since 2005 he associated with the COSINT (an Italian NGO recognized by the UN for collaborating with the Youths of the UN agency), and since 2007 he began his journey across the African continent. He covered different advisory positions to different African states, which led him to be appointed as an Ambassador at-large of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe in 2012, whilst careering as an investigative journalist since 2003.

By one year or so, President Manuel Pinto Da Costa, after having firstly nominated him as his Special Envoy, appointed him as Special Adviser for social and humanitarian affairs to the Permanent Mission of Sao Tome and Principe to the United Nations at NY, USA.

Toriello escalated to the position of Deputy Permanent Representative after just one year of his appointment as Special Adviser, marking his presence at the UN by initiating different activities on behalf of the country. In addition, Toriello made his voice heard by speaking several times at the Security Council and other events organized at the UN Headquarters by other Members State. In somehow, it is perhaps interesting to underline the fact that according to the records, since its membership to the UN, STP has never delivered a speech to the Security Council.

Toriello primary legacy of his mandate at the UN was the foundation of the "Humanicy" project (a word coined by him), which was launched at UN in April 2013, having a great resonance in India. At Chennai, he was guest of honor at events hosted by Latha Rajnikanth(wife of Kollywood superstar and icon Shivaji Rao Rajinikanth); by artist N. Swarnalatha, where he was coo-guest of honor with entrepreneur Kuwait Raja, and by SCAD Group headed by chairman Dr. Cletus Babu (an NGO) where he interacted on Humanicy with six thousand students.

Back In New York, the ambassador was interviewed by SouthSouthNews Network - a media platform collaborating with UN and governments, and then, he attended the 69th session of the General Assembly held at UN, delivering a short speech in support of proclaiming 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, a resolution which was adopted without vote under India's leadership. His speech was reported by different media and by UN in the lead session of the news article itself, highlighting in this way a relevance of the speech: "ANGELO ANTONIO TORIELLO (Sao Tome and Principe) said the International Day of Yoga would not only promote health and evolution, but also clarity of vision and action. That, in turn, could help prevent contradictions, which often generated confusion while making rules and promoting laws. The Day should be fully supported and yoga should become a part of daily life for all".

Toriello - in his capacity of deputy permanent representative to his permanent mission to the UN and as lead endorser - in partnership with an African and civil coalition organized a major event-concert at UN to recall vigilance on the Ebola disease, and which was held at General Assembly hall on March 2, 2015. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the ceremony by thanking the Ambassador H.E. Mr. Angelo Antonio Toriello and the government of Sao Tome and Principe, followed up by H.E. Mrs Samantha Power, PR to the Permanent Mission of USA to the UN; H.E. Mr. Vandi Chidi Minah, PR to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sierra Leone; H.E. Mr. Sebastiano Cardi, PR to the Permanent Mission of Italy to the UN.

The event marked a startling achievement for Sao Tome and Principe as Member State, as no event was ever organized at the UN by the diplomatic mission. Likewise a personal success was achieved by Toriello, considering the fact that, as a person, he is holding an Italian citizenship too, therefore his name could be added in the list of other Italian personalities having had the opportunity to speak at the prestigious General Assembly at the UN.

Toriello’s speech was particularly focusing on resolutions of justice and equality to be adopted in favor of the African continent, which was enduring illogical, senseless and unjustified prevarications since dawn of the history as “collateral effects” perpetuated by an inequitable and biased governmental human system.

Toriello was recently interviewed by Life Positive Magazine (India), which underlines the importance of the ambassador activities at United Nations for his perseverance to integrate his idea/concept of the Humanicy project/program into the UN system - which "seeks a developed role for arts and cultural exchange; in peace building and development negotiations" - as an ultimate aim to remind to keep alive the humanity within a system ruled by "cold" diplomacy and bureaucracy.

Humanicy movement - launched by Toriello at UN since December 2013 - is being largely endorsed by Bollywood industry in India, as reported by The Times of India, through programs which see involved Superstars and famous movie directors. Toriello says “The project will be shared to support the Humanicy film program itself, sustainable developing social-humanitarian projects for Sao Tome and Principe, and to support UNWOMEN and UNICEF agencies too”.

In his interview, H.E. Mr. Angelo Antonio Toriello explains, "I am promoting humanicy as a reminder to keep alive the "humanity" within, even though one is working as diplomat. I believe that Humanicy is a project about seeking a developed role for arts and cultural exchange by eventually spreading awareness with the help of documentaries, films and short films having a social message.”

The Times of India in its article highlights as well the activities carried out by Toriello in his capacity of ambassador representing a member state at UN: “Recently, on a scamming case in India which were involved individuals holding a diplomatic position and which he was following up, he took the opportunity to send an email to the Secretary General office with the intent to highlight "malpractices" at UN too, and which he has been witnessing since his appointment” . This, in connection with the recent bribing scam, which saw involved high diplomats.