The Milan Charter

A Compelling Message to the World on the Human Right to Food.
With over a million endorsements, the Charter of Milan embodies the
cultural legacy of Expo Milano 2015. A shared document strongly backed
by the Italian government, the Charter issued a call for every national
or international citizen, association, enterprise or institution to take
responsibility in ensuring that future generations of the entire planet will
be guaranteed the right to proper nutrition.
The main themes of the Charter were: access to sufficient, wholesome
and nutritious food, clean water and energy; the full acknowledgement of
women’s role with respect to nutrition and education; the protection of the
soil and of natural resources; and sustainable production processes.
The document emphasized the social and cultural value of food, which
must be managed in an equitable, rational, and efficient manner for the
benefit of present and future generations, along with natural resources
and energy sources. The document acknowledged that feeding the
planet’s growing population without depleting the environment and in
such a way as to preserve existing resources for future generations, is
one of the greatest challenges faced by mankind today.
Developed under the aegis of Maurizio Martina, Italian minister of
Agriculture and Forestry and Giuseppe Sala Expo Commissioner,
coordinated by the Feltrinelli Foundation, the Charter was established
through the contribution of a great many international experts,
researchers, academics and leading figures from the business,
cooperation, communications and sports sectors, who came together
in a grand “Expo of Ideas”. The first meeting took place at the Hangar
Bicocca on 7 February 2015, with the participation of the Italian Prime
Minister, Matteo Renzi, and seven government ministers, along with
500 experts. This collective brainstorming covered forty-two thematic
focuses. The submission of the Charter of Milan to the Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, on the FAO World Food Day, 16
October 2015, marked the completion of a process which had begun
months before with meetings and efforts designed to fulfil the ambition of
Milan, Italy, and the Expo, to bequeath to the world a compelling message
on the human right to food.