Two weeks, from today June 29 until July 10, to emphasize the role of Women in this Universal Exposition and to ensure that the contribution and significance of a program like WE-Women for Expo will be passed on to future Expos, as from Dubai 2020. Present at the inauguration ceremony held in the Auditorium of Expo Milano 2015, wereEmma BoninoandMarta Dassù, respectively President and Executive President of WE-Women for Expo,Diana Bracco, Chief Commissioner of the Italian Pavilion,Maurizio Martina, Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, andGiuseppe Sala, Chief Government Commissioner of Expo Milano 2015. In their speeches they baptized this newborn "The Other Half of the Planet", along withJaqueline Franjou, CEO Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, andClaudia Parzani, President of Valore D.
Sala: “From now on, all future Expos will highlight the vital contribution of women”
“My vision of this Expo consists of a huge amount of things to be realized with the help of everybody. From now on, every future Universal Exposition will highlight the vital contribution of women.” These were the opening words of Giuseppe Sala, immediately focusing on the unique value of a project which reaches its peak expression in these two weeks now beginning.‘The Other Half of the Planet - Women’s Weeks’,promoted by WE-Women for Expo, contains a packed calendar of international events devoted to women, programed in the Expo Site until July 10. A series of collective reflections on the theme of Women’s Empowerment through varied events and conferences with important international participants and prestigious Partners.
Martina: "WE-Women for Expo is one of the most profound and powerful projects in this Universal Exposition"
Diana Bracco insisted on the idea that “It is highly important that the conceptual thread of Womanhood becomes a concrete legacy for future Expos and is not confined to a one-off experience in Milan.” She also emphasized the role of the Italian Pavilion in contributing to this legacy: “Padiglione Italia has made a huge effort to support this invaluable program. We havecreated a space which we are proud of, dedicated to Women, which provides a base from which to support and communicate the projects generated by the two international competitions launched in preparation for Expo, the ‘For Women’ and the ‘By Women’ projects", here referring to two women-orientated tenders for projects, designed to highlight the talent and organizational skills of the female universe. Minister Martina expressed his satisfaction with WE-Women for Expo, which he described as “one of the most profound and powerful projects in this Universal Exposition. If the idea of making this a useful precedent for future Expos becomes reality, then yet again we can consider Expo Milano 2015 as a key moment for the future.”
Bonino: “Invaluable experience has been accumulated, now let’s look ahead”
Minister Martina also spoke of the process of guiding women to positions of greater responsibility and importance, and also of how this process is apparent in the field of agriculture, where “women represent 40 percent of the global agricultural workforce. In this field there are still huge gaps to be filled, and deep-rooted discrimination in many parts of the world. WE is not ‘an attachment’ to the work undertaken here: it is one of the central axes of Expo Milano 2015.” Emma Bonino agreed, underlining how “the issue is the cross-roads between genders and generations: the important thing is to keep this in mind without slipping into over-generalization. The experience we have accumulated needs to be combined with the ability to look ahead to the future. Let’s launch these two weeks in a way that will make our presence in Milan come across as richer, more various and more joyful.”
