China-Italy Philanthropy Forum Heralds a New Era of Philanthropy in China and Italy

SHENZHEN, China, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The China-Italy Philanthropy Forum (CIPF) was jointly organized by China Global Philanthropy Institute (CGPI), TOChina Hub, and China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) with a view to supporting the Belt and Road initiative, enhancing philanthropic exchange and cooperation between the two countries. The East-West Philanthropists Summit of CIPF was successfully held at the Lincean National Academy of Sciences in Rome from March 20 to 23.

As Honorary Co-Chairs of the forum, Romano PRODI, Former President of the European Commission and Former Prime Minister of Italy and MA Weihua, Chairman of CGPI and Former Governor of China Merchants Bank attended a state dinner banquet on March 22 hosted by Italian President Sergio MATTARELLA. Addressing the gathering, President MATTARELLA said, "the establishment of...CIPF as well as a series of governmental and trade agreements scheduled to be signed tomorrow fully demonstrate the strong interest of the two countries in developing cooperative ties."

On March 23, WANG Zhenyao, President of CGPI, FANG Jin, Deputy Secretary-General of CDRF, and Giovanni ANDORNINO, Director of TOChina Hub, signed a MoU on the Establishment of CIPF for long-term cooperation in philanthropy. The ceremony was witnessed by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe CONTE. This MoU was the only one in philanthropy among the 19 intergovernmental agreements signed that day. The event marked the highest-level philanthropic exchange ever between the two countries.

Moreover, the East-West Philanthropists Summit of CIPF was a complete success. Over 30 representatives from politics, philanthropy, business, arts, and academia of both countries attended the event. The event witnessed the launch of East-West Philanthropy Circle focusing on the united action of the world's leading philanthropic families, and the International Philanthropic Innovation Circle focusing on "uniting the world's young philanthropists to innovate for good" under the East-West Philanthropy Forum (EWPF), which is the highest action-driven platform of exchange and collaboration for the philanthropists from the East and the West to address today's most urgent environmental and social challenges. On the occasion, the representatives of the Chinese and Italian philanthropists vowed to take concrete measures to organize personnel training, realize environmental protection, ensure the protection of intangible cultural heritage, and support family philanthropic legacy within the framework of CIPF and EWPF.