Fighting rural poverty, promoting social cohesion in post-conflict areas and drawing new public-private partnerships for sustainable development. This are the topics for the three international conferences that Coopermondo, the Association of International Cooperation of Confcooperative, organizes during EXPO Milano 2015 in the Civil Society Pavillion, “Cascina Triulza”, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The conferences will be attended by personalities of International Organizations (ILO, EU, FAO, UN), by Ministers of Governments of Partner countries and by representatives of the projects carried out by Coopermondo and his associates.
The schedule of the events:June 15 – “Feeding the Planet Post2015: decent work, youth and gender equality“: evidence from projects and strategic reflections on the role that cooperatives can play to fight rural poverty.September 23 – “Peace & Food. The co-operative model for social cohesion“: conference on the importance of cooperatives in post-conflict.October 21 – “Public-private partnership for a good internationalization“: discussion on possible collaborations between public and private sectors to create sustainable development. Each event will be divided into two parts: the first one is a storytelling of some of the 425 development cooperation projects carried out by Italian and European cooperatives in over 78 countries worldwide, with a value of over 200 million euro; the second part will be a political panel where institutions, international organizations, NGOs and representatives of the cooperative movement will discuss how the inclusive business model of cooperatives contributes to the creation of decent work, the promotion of a culture of peace, gender equality and youth empowerment. A fourth event will take place in the week between 16th and 21st June, when, always in Cascina Triulza (Confcooperative’s stand), Coopermondo and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the pavilions of some countries, will exhibit photographs, videos and interviews about the most significant experiences of cooperation in some selected countries (Balkans, Togo and Ghana, Ecuador, Colombia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone). “Our challenge is to feed the world with techniques that are environmentally friendly and sustainable,” says Maurizio Gardini, President of Confcooperative, stressing that already in the choice of the title (“Feeding the Planet. Energy for life”) EXPO has decided to accept the political mission that international cooperation is pursuing for decades: food security. The added value of cooperatives in this field is divided into two levels: the systematic organization of the supply chain (essential for small farmers, according to the FAO represent 84% of the world total) and the cultural enhancement of the farmer that restores dignity to agriculture and the farming profession.
