On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its founding, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received a delegation from CESVI at the Quirinale. The delegation included Gloria Zavatta, President of the Foundation; Maurizio Carrara, Honorary President; Stefano Piziali, General Manager; and Nando Pagnoncelli, representing the Founders.
During the meeting, the book “40. I nostri anni di solidarietà” by Maurizio Carrara was presented to the President of the Republic.
The event provided a significant opportunity to celebrate four decades of humanitarian commitment and international cooperation while also addressing the sector’s current challenges.
During the audience, the CESVI delegation illustrated to President Mattarella the organisation’s work in emergency and development contexts worldwide, underlining the crucial role of civil society organisations in fostering international cooperation. The discussion focused on CESVI’s distinctive approach: promoting local expertise while integrating it with international best practices, following a ‘glocal’ strategy that combines commitment, solidarity, and efficiency in the fight against poverty, child protection, and humanitarian crisis response. This approach is reinforced by the resources and energies of local communities across Italy.
Maurizio Carrara, CESVI’s Honorary President, and Nando Pagnoncelli, representing the Founders, retraced the key milestones in the Foundation’s history, highlighting the challenges faced and the successes achieved thanks to the support of institutions, partners, and private donors. They emphasised CESVI’s unique model of collaboration between for-profit, non-profit, and institutional sectors.
Gloria Zavatta, President of CESVI, stressed the pressing global challenges and reaffirmed CESVI’s commitment to responding to humanitarian, climate, and social emergencies through innovative and sustainable projects, particularly in complex contexts such as Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Ukraine.
General Manager Stefano Piziali outlined the organisation’s future outlook, detailing strategies to strengthen humanitarian impact both in Italy and worldwide through new alliances in Europe. He particularly focused on the environment, water access, and sanitation while addressing the challenges posed by recent USAID funding cuts and their potential repercussions on humanitarian aid programmes.
The meeting at the Quirinale was a moment of great symbolic significance for CESVI, reaffirming the institutional recognition of its work and renewing the Foundation’s commitment to its mission of solidarity worldwide.
A milestone that reflects the dedication and professionalism of all those who, over the past 40 years, have contributed to making CESVI a key player in international cooperation.