Event
25 October 2022
The event is co-organized by the Municipality of Bergamo and the University of Bergamo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, the FAO, Slow Food Italy and the Agronomic Institute for the Mediterranean of Bari and will take place on 25 October at 3 pm in the “Castoldi” room of the University of Bergamo.
Moderator
- Stefano Gatti, Special Envoy for Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Welcome and opening remarks
- Giorgio Gori, Mayor of Bergamo
- Prof. Sergio Cavalieri, Dean of the University of Bergamo
- Amb. Bruno Archi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the International Organizations in Roma
Keynote speech
- Qu Dongyu, Director General FAO
National and international coalitions on local food policies: from the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact to the Mediterranean dialogue
- Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan
- Giorgio Gori, Mayor of Bergamo
- Antonio Decaro, Mayor of Bari
- Matteo Lepore, Mayor of Bologna Abdelkareem Sider, Mayor of Jericho Giovanni Fosti, Presidente Fondazione Cariplo
- Biagio Di Terlizzi, Deputy director of Ciheam Bari
The protectors of the land: from Slow Food to the Farmers Markets Coalition
- Ettore Prandini, President Coldiretti
- Richard McCarthy, President, World Farmers Markets Coalition
- Rachida Mehdioui, President of the RIAM, Morocco
- Maurizio Martina, Assistant Director General FAO
Closing remarks
- Cindy Mc Cain, US Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are jeopardized by multidimensional and interconnected global crises: climate change, energy crisis, food insecurity, and financial instability are just some examples of the challenges that we are facing. Nevertheless, we cannot afford to lose track of the path of the SDGs: it is our duty to walk this way, no matter how difficult it should be. In this scenario, spreading knowledge about the SDGs is of the utmost importance. #InsiemepergliSDG is the contribution that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is providing in order to reach out to the Italian population and raise awareness about the mission of the 2030 Agenda. International partners of the MFA are also contributing to the project, namely UN SDG Campaign, FAO, the European Commission, CIHEAM Bari, and Save the Children. This year, the campaign has started in Siena and will see the final stage in Brescia and Bergamo.
The event “The strategic role of international coalitions to achieve food security” takes place in the broader context of the #InsiemepergliSDG campaign, particularly focusing on the issue of food security. The event is co-organized by the Town and the University of Bergamo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, FAO, Slow Food Italy and the Agronomic Institute for the Mediterranean of Bari. It will take place the 25th of October at 3 p.pm in the historical and recently restored setting of the Auditorium (Aula Magna) of the University of Bergamo.
We are living through a period in which the amount of the global population affected by hunger is increasing due to several concurrent crisis. SDG number 2, “zero hunger”, is among the most systemic ones: it would be impossible to reach quality education, for instance, if children didn’t have access to food. In 2021, the UN Food Systems Summit (FSS), held during the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, set the stage for global food systems transformation. The current food systems are not able to provide adequate food for all; change is very much needed: we must create more sustainable and more resilient agri-food systems. Italy contributed actively to this effort by hosting in Rome the pre-Summit and by paying a leading role at the proper FSS.
The daunting task of achieving worldwide food security requires the contribution of all actors of the international community, from civil society organization, farmers associations and the private sector, to Countries and relevant international organizations. The Food System Summit launched the idea of developing new international coalitions of action to achieve the needed transformation of food systems.
Well before 2021 some of the key international coalitions that play a key role on food security today have originated from Italy. 34 years ago, Slow Food was launched in the North of Italy and is today a key international movement encompassing all continents. On the occasion of the 2015 World Expo in Milan, dedicated to the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, the Town of Milan promoted the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. Led by the Mayor of Milan today the Pact counts 240 signatory cities from all over the world. More recently, on following the approval of the G20 Matera Declaration on Food Security in 2021, FAO, in collaboration and with the support of the Government of Italy, launched the Food Coalition. Within the Food Coalition framework Coldiretti, a key Italian farmers association, has launched the World Farmers Market Coalition with farmer’s markets associations from USA, Canada, South Africa, Ghana and several other countries around the world.
The event will gather leaders from government, international organizations, mayors, civil society and farmers organizations to discuss the importance of international coalitions to achieve food security, reflect on the experience of those coalition that have originated in Italy or with Italy’s support and propose new actions and ideas to carry forward these important experiences.