MILAN - The UNESCO chair created at Milan's Università
Statale for the right and access to food awards the city and its
heritage as the host of the 2015 food-themed Universal
Exposition so "the international calling that this great event
has inspired can remain alive", said Antonio Bettanini, the
director of the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy.
Bettanini was commenting on Monday the creation of the first
UNESCO chair in Milan on the right to food in a manifesto
promoted when Livia Pomodoro, the president of the Milan Center
for Food Law and Policy, was appointed as its holder.
The manifesto stressed that Pomodoro "has fought and is
fighting so the legacy of Expo is confirmation of the leadership
conquered by Milan and Lombardy in the perspective of
sustainable development".
It was signed by political and business leaders including
Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, Lombardy Governor Attilio
Fontana, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, the president of
Confindustria and Confcommercio, respectively Vincenzo Boccia
and Carlo Sangalli, the deans of Milan's universities, Gianluca
Vago (Statale), Ferruccio Resta (Politecnico), Cristina Messa
(Bicocca), Letizia Moratti, Diana Bracco, Carlo Messina (CEO
Banca Intesa), Giuseppe Guzzetti (president of the Fondazione
Cariplo), Luciano Fontana (editor-in-chief of Corriere della
Sera), to cite a few.
Italy has 26 UNESCO chairs, which have the objective of
promoting international cooperation among universities.
Milan already hosts two - one on energy for sustainable
development and another one on the conservation and
architectural planning of the city's heritage, both at the
Polytechnic.
Overall, there are four food-themed UNESCO chairs - one in
Oman, one in South Africa and two in Spain.
Pomodoro said such chairs are "in the interest of humanity",
stressing that Milan will not only need to focus on the right to
food but also on the right to water, which will be "the great
problem of the coming years".
Indeed the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy will attend
the Dubai Expo 2020 to discuss this theme.
UNESCO chair a sign after Expo - Milan Center
Business and political leaders sign manifesto for Livia Pomodoro