The Milan Charter is born: “Food is a human right”

It will be the great legacy of Expo, a document that – in its intent – should enshrine in the alimentary world a path so radical that it can be compared to the Kyoto Protocol on the environment. This is the Milan Charter, the dossier to be presented Tuesday 28th April in Milan, a few days before the opening of the Expo. A document that will involve anyone who decides to subscribe to reduce food waste, caring for and having awareness of nature, of what you eat and consuming only what is necessary.

The charter is still top secret but its incipit, revealed by Il Sole 24 Ore, will be this

We women and men, citizens of this planet … we believe that the right to food should be considered a fundamental human right. We consider it a violation of human dignity, the lack of access to healthy food, sufficient and nutritious, clean water and energy.

The charter aims to gather millions of signatures since every single visitor to Expo can sign it and the dossier, at the end of the exhibition, will be delivered into the hands of the UN Secretary-General. It is already planned for 16th October when the document will be officially handed over to the international community and in the meantime, the intention is to also engage companies and Governments to sign the text.

Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, however, the Milan Charter is a document that was created from the bottom up. Inside there are a number of requests addressed to Governments (such as how to create the right to food) but also for the protection of environmental resources, the development of a system of non-discriminatory international trade and based on shared rules. An effort that aims to eliminate the distortions that cause the coexistence of malnutrition and obesity, chronic hunger and wasting a third of the food produced. Because to “feed the world” we need the commitment of everyone.