EXPO opens: the Milan Charter, values and challenges to share

EXPO Milano 2015 has kicked off. The Universal Exhibition has opened the doors of its 1.1 million square meters that, in the next six months (until 31 October 2015), will host, according to the most optimistic estimates, at least 20 million visitors. And Coopermondo, the association for development cooperation of Confcooperative network, will be present with three international conferences and a week of events in the Pavilion of Civil Society, Cascina Triulza.

The presence of Coopermondo in this event stems from wanting to share, with the other actors of civil society, the co-operative movement’s engagement in the fight against hunger in developing countries. It will also be an extraordinary opportunity to sensitize the general public, and the cooperative world that is closer to us, on the issues of development cooperation. Not a secondary topic since 2015 is also the year that the EU devotes to the development (European Year for Development 2015) and the year in which the United Nations will establish the new development agenda post-2015: a series of “Sustainable Development Goals” to end hunger in the world by 2030.

 

 Our values ​​and aims are clearly expressed in the Charter of Milan, which Coopermondo has helped draw up through the participation of the Director Danilo Salerno to the group of experts, led by the DG of the DGDC, Giampaolo Cantini. Experience has taught us that the inclusive business model of co-operatives, which in the last five years have engaged in over 425 projects in more than 78 countries, is able to give answers to the many challenges that the underwriters of the Charter of Milan arise. And during EXPO we will show the world how. Here the agenda of the events that Coopermondo organizes in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation during EXPO Milano 2015: June 15 – “Feeding the Planet Post2015: decent job, youth and gender equality”: evidence from projects and strategic discussion of the role that co-operatives can play to combat rural poverty. For more info click here. June 16 to 21 “Cooperative and sustainable development in …”: photographs, videos and interviews about the most significant experiences of development cooperation in some selected countries (Balkans, Togo and Ghana, Ecuador, Colombia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone). For more info click here. September 23 – “Peace & Food. The co-operative model for social cohesion”: conference on the importance of co-operatives in post-conflict contexts. For more info click here. October 21 – “Public-private partnerships for a good internationalization”: discussion of possible collaborations between public and private sectors to create sustainable development. For more info click here.