17-10-2025 | di COOPI

Toward Sustainable Food Systems: Mani Tese and COOPI at the MUFPP Global Forum for the Right to Fair and Universal Food

With a panel dedicated to the right to food, food sovereignty, and resilience, the humanitarian organizations Mani Tese ETS and COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale inaugurated the 13th of October the “side event” section of the Global Forum of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) at the University of Milan.

The conference, titled “Towards Sustainable Food Systems: Right to Food, Sovereignty and Resilience. Good Practices and Successful Projects,” opened the most important international event dedicated to urban food policies, organized by the Municipality of Milan. Running until October 17, it gathers over 500 experts from around the world — including representatives of universities, local administrations, and civil society organizations — to discuss the challenges of transitioning toward sustainable food systems. 

The Right to Food as a Shared Responsibility

In her opening remarks, Francesca C. Villata, Professor of International Law at the University of Milan, noted that “current reflections highlight the role — not always positive — of the private sector in global agri-food systems. For this reason, it is essential to pay close attention to Directive (EU) 2024/1760 on corporate due diligence for sustainability, which introduces a civil liability framework aimed at ensuring respect for human rights throughout supply chains.” 

The Right to Food as Transformative Action

In her speech, Alice Giulia Dal Borgo, Lecturer in the Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage at the University of Milan, emphasized that “speaking of the right to food does not only mean nutrition — it involves health, culture, relationships, and food sovereignty. The right to food becomes real when cities treat agroecology as an infrastructure for transformative action.”

Food Inequality as a Structural Effect of the System

“Food inequalities are not an accidental outcome of the dominant agri-food system, but one of its structural effects,” stressed Elisa Lenhard, Head of Global Citizenship Education and Advocacy at Mani Tese. “The way we produce, distribute, and consume food reflects and amplifies economic, social, and environmental inequalities. In this context, civil society can and must play a crucial role in truly transforming the food system.

From Fighting Poverty to Strengthening Communities

In his address, Federico Pirola, Project Manager of COOPI’s “Fighting Poverty in Milan” initiative, recalled that “today, poverty is no longer distributed along a line separating the Global North and South — it cuts across all territories, both urban and rural, compelling us to build responses rooted in local contexts. COOPI believes that starting with food means initiating structural change: what begins as an emergency intervention can become a process of empowerment, strengthening community participation and cooperation between public and social actors. This is the path to making food systems truly sustainable and inclusive — in Italy and worldwide.”

A Just Food System Is Born from Sovereign and Resilient Communities

During the panel, the promoting organizations shared experiences and best practices developed in Europe and Africa with Papa Mamadou Fam, President of the Departmental Council of Rufisque (Senegal); Alina Nicoar, Project Manager at the Metropolitan Agency of Brasov; and (via video) Marie Massart, Mayor of Montpellier — cities engaged in promoting fair, sustainable, and inclusive food networks capable of reducing waste and inequality.

A Shared Call

The closing message from both organizations was clear: to make food a universal and recognized right, by strengthening collaboration among institutions, producers, schools, and citizens, and by promoting public policies that place social, climate, and food justice at their core