The Rome-based LUISS University and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) agreed to exchange knowledge and expertise for the training of future practitioners in food security.

A collaboration agreement was signed on 28 September by the Director of FAO’s Partnerships and South-South Cooperation Division, Marcela Villarreal and Prof. Antonio Nuzzo, Dean of the LUISS School of Law. According to the agreement, LUISS will integrate FAO’s e-learning materials on food and nutrition security, food safety and right to food in the curriculum of its Master of Law (LL.M.) in Food Law, managed by the LUISS School of Law.

Recognizing the importance of human, economic and geo-political relevance of food, the master programme covers themes such as agricultural and industrial production, distribution and international trade, quality and safety controls, consumer information and health safeguard and more.

In addition to educational materials, the UN agency will provide experts for university lectures and webinars, while LUISS students will have the opportunity to participate in events such as the presentation of studies and flagship publications, webinars and briefings at FAO.

LUISS and FAO will also organize public outreach initiatives on food security and nutrition through joint conferences and round tables on themes such as food loss and waste.

“As food and nutrition security is fundamentally based on effective policies, programmes and frameworks anchored in sound law, FAO is pleased to enter into partnership with LUISS University, a key actor in Italy’s food law environment,” said Marcela Villarreal at the signing ceremony. “Founded on a common vision, the partnership will enhance knowledge exchanges in the pursuit of updated and more efficient legal settings on food security themes. FAO thanks LUISS University for its commitment to food and nutrition security education and looks forward to achieving successful outcomes of this partnership.”

Prof. Antonio Nuzzo said: “We are particularly proud of having concluded this agreement with the FAO. It shows LUISS University’s constant commitment to enabling our students to better understand issues so fundamental for the life and future for all of us. Food security, access to primary resources, the fight against food waste - to name but a few - are global goals that can no longer leave any of us indifferent and can only be achieved by creating synergies between the skills of different stakeholders. We therefore thank FAO for its willingness to start this certainly fruitful collaboration”.

Guest of the ceremony, Ambassador Pierfrancesco Sacco, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nation Agencies in Rome, reflected that “This is a meaningful further step in advancing the cooperation between FAO and Italian actors in the vast field of sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition. The legal and jurisdictional dimensions of the latter are certainly of the utmost importance and LUISS figures among its prominent actors.”

Today's agreement is part of FAO’s commitment to work closely with universities, civil society, non-governmental organizations, cooperatives and the private sector to achieve the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals and Zero Hunger.