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Charter of Milan for right to food unveiled as Expo legacy

Xinhua, April 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A charter of commitment to involve countries in pursuing the universal right to food and considered to be the legacy of Expo Milano 2015 was unveiled here on Tuesday.

The "Charter of Milan" was the result of public and private subjects joining hands to address one of humanity's greatest challenges, feeding a growing population while preserving the environment, Expo Sole Commissioner of the Italian government Giuseppe Sala told a news conference.

The document, Sala explained, will be delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Oct. 16, when the UN head will visit the world exposition running in Milan from May 1 to Oct. 31.

But what is the Milan Charter? The document, created after months of view exchanges among some 5,000 experts and available in 19 languages, begins with the analysis and acknowledgement of the global world today.

Then it is articulated through reflections on the theme of Expo Milano 2015 "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life", namely food, energy, identity and the dynamics of coexistence, and commitments for a sustainable future.

By signing the Milan Charter, citizens, associations and businesses declare their personal responsibility and ask governments and institutions to undertake measures in order to contribute to the UN Millennium Developments Goals.

At the center of the Italian expo's legacy there is the fundamental concept that food must be a right for all human beings, contrary to what happens nowadays in the world, where about 800 million people are chronically hungry and two billion people are malnourished, the Milan Charter reads.

Another key topic is fighting food waste, considering that more than one third of the food for human consumption is wasted or lost every year in the food supply chain, while the soil, forests and seas are exploited in an unsustainable way, the document elaborated.

"To try to carry out such an operation by giving everyone more responsibility is an important political act to which Italy is committed," Italian Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina told the news conference.

In fact, Martina added, the Milan Charter is the evidence of the "political ambition" of Expo Milano 2015, which aims at being a "new extraordinary instrument of diplomacy at the international level."

In a globalized world, expos with their millions of visitors and international spirit must be platforms to put together people and institutions to find solutions to the global challenges, and this is their precious legacy, Martina said. Endit