Pomodoro UNESCO chair on right to food at Milan University

MILAN - The city of Milan has a new UNESCO Chair on the right to food. It is the first in this field in Italy and it has been awarded to Milan's Statale University and to Livia Pomodoro, the former president of the city's tribunal who has worked for the last three years as the president of the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy to promote the legacy of the food-themed Universal Exposition held in 2015 in Milan. The new chair will be part of the specialization program coordinated by Pier Filippo Giuggioli on 'Food between health, the law and market'.
    Speaking at the presentation of the course, Hilal Elver, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, stressed that the fact that the chair was given to Milan "holds special meaning because Italy already hosts other international organizations connected to the right to food and food security, including FAO".
    It also represents a "tool" to remind policy-makers of the "urgency of such themes and to bring awareness and knowledge among young generations", said Elver.
    Livia Pomodoro said that "the chair can promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on the necessary scientific and legal tools to contribute to raise public awareness and engagement so access to food can become a concrete reality for an increasing number of citizens in the world", speaking at the presentation event. "The chair will also need to facilitate and encourage an important cooperation between centers for research and high training, between universities and dedicated institutions, in Milan as well as in Italy and abroad".
    The fact that Milan, the city where the food-themed Expo was held, will host the chair "is an important opportunity" for the city, Lombardy, Italy and for multilateral institutional relations, she added.