20-10-2022 | di COOPI

COOPI Meeting begins: more than 100 co-operators from 26 countries together against crises

Milan, 19 September 2022 - More than 100 protagonists of international cooperation from 26 countries are meeting in Milan to discuss experiences, approaches and prospects for action as the world comes to terms with poverty, hunger and instability exacerbated by wars, climate change and pandemics. The COOPI Meeting, the annual international gathering of COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale, an organisation founded in 1965 by Father Vincenzo Barbieri, is back for its 11th edition. Scheduled from 24 to 29 October, it concludes on Saturday 29 with a round table open to the public and streamed live, entitled "The Near Future: International Cooperation in Times of Global Crises". "Future near" as in COOPI's closeness to local communities in responding to crises, as in the immediacy of reaction to the increasingly rapid succession of events, and as in the new strategy of the organisation, whose projects in 33 nations support 6 million people, including in Italy's Milan hinterland.

At the centre of the debate are the combined effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and conflicts, the energy crisis and climate change, as well as food security and poverty in Italy and around the world, with a focus on the funding needed to combat global crises and ensure international cooperation. The World Food Programme estimated that at least 828 million people go to sleep hungry every night, while the number of those suffering from acute food insecurity since 2019 has increased from 135 million to 345 million. And it points out that while needs are growing, resources are dwindling: the gap between need and availability has never been wider.

Meanwhile, the UN Climate Conference Cop27 will open on 7 November in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt: precisely in Africa, which remains the region with the least capacity for climate adaptation and the highest percentage of people suffering from hunger. "Climate-related disasters turn into humanitarian disasters when societies fail to deal with them: the FAO estimates that 278 million Africans, one-fifth of the population, suffered from hunger in 2021, 50 million more since 2019 and with an alarming projection of 310 million by 2030. According to UNHCR, then, of the 100 million people who fled their homes worldwide, almost 76% were climate displaced in 2020. And by 2050 this will rise to 250 million,' says Claudio Ceravolo, president of COOPI.

Taking part in the round table are:

Luca De Fraia, deputy secretary general of ActionAid Italia, expert in Official Development Assistance;
Stefano Corsi, professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Milan, expert in sustainable food systems in Africa;
Marco Zupi (live from Rome), scientific director of CeSPI - Centre for Politics and International Studies.

Journalist Elio Silva, former editor-in-chief of Il Sole 24 Ore, will moderate and greetings by Claudio Ceravolo, president of COOPI, are panned.

The round table, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 pm, can be attended in person at Palazzo delle Stelline, Corso Magenta 61, Milan, in Sala Manzoni, or live streamed on the Youtube Channel "COOPI Live" in English. Participation is free of charge, but for both modalities compulsory registration is required, by sending an e-mail to eventi@coopi.org by 28 October.

In addition to the guests, COOPI's top management and members, coordinators, managers and cooperators will be taking stock in in-depth discussions and working groups. About 60 people are coming from Italy, 50 from 25 other countries (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Mauritania, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia).

COOPI Press Office

Isabella Samà

ufficiostampa@coopi.org

Tel. 02.3085057

www.coopi.org

ATLANTIS Press Office

Agnese Gazzera

agnese.gazzera@atlantiscompany.it

Tel. 375.6654841

Maria Chiara Zilli

mariachiara.zilli@atlantiscompany.it

Tel. 375.5637748

Cover: Silvano Pupella