EVENTS EXPO of Ideas

By Daniel Reichel

“The key word of Expo is identity. The identity of Italy”, said the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Saturday, during Expo of Ideas, an event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture together with Expo Milano 2015. For Renzi the Expo – that will begin on May 1, 2015 – will be “an opportunity for Italy not just to grow, but also to show to the world an image of a country that tries to succeed and will succeed.”

The meeting featured a dialogue of many voices and was focus on the key issues of the upcoming Universal Exhibition that are related to the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. There were more than 40 thematic groups, with over 500 experts participating. They discussed about many topics related to Expo: development, equity, and sustainability in the food culture and industry. These themes are also at the core of Israel food policy. EXPO will also be an opportunity for Israel to present its knowledge on agricultural engineering and innovation.

One of the main issues discussed during the event was the Charter of Milan, a protocol that will feature, for the first time, citizens, institutions, companies, associations, academia and international organizations. The Charter, which next October will be delivered to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will “propose commitments and specific responsibilities on all major issues related to food and globalization,” explained the Italian minister of Agriculture Maurzio Martina, “and will be the main tool for informed participation in the debate within EXPO, which will affect all member countries, individual visitors, institutions and national and international companies involved in various ways.”