Italy-Morocco for UN 'Mediterranean Diet Day' resolution

(ANSA) - NEW YORK, 25 NOV - In the context of the ninth Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, Italy promoted at the Glass Palace a conference entitled 'Mediterranean Diet - A Living Heritage, Unleashing One Health', together with Morocco, organised with the Future Food Institute, the Municipality of Pollica (Unesco Emblematic Community for Italy) and the Angelo Vassallo Centre for Mediterranean Diet Studies.
    The event was opened by video-messages from Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida and FAO Deputy Director General Maurizio Martina. During the proceedings, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, permanent representative to the UN, announced for the first time the intention of Italy and Morocco to present a UN resolution instituting World Mediterranean Diet Day, an event that will provide a new and important stage for promoting the Diet and its values at an international level.
    "The Mediterranean Diet has a smaller environmental footprint than many other diets, and it is no coincidence that it is our ally in accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda," Massari noted. "In the face of challenges such as climate change, urbanisation and global health concerns, the Mediterranean Diet stands as a model for the entire world,' he added. 'It is this model that inspires Italian action in the field of nutrition at the multilateral level, of which the Apulia Food Systems Initiative in the context of our G7 Presidency and the work carried out at the UN by Italy also in its role as chairman of the Group of Friends of Food Security and Nutrition at the United Nations, in which more than 50 countries around the world participate, are emblematic. After the conference, a tasting of Mediterranean diet products was organised at the UN Headquarters.