Between 14 and 15 April 2021 UNIDO ITPO Italy participated in the 2021 Digital Edition of the Belt and Road Exhibition organized by the OBOR Italian Institute, by co-organizing and participating in three panel sessions with international experts from the public and private sector of Italy and China and focused on several topics, namely sustainable fashion, business collaborations and global cooperation.

The first conference, titled "Fashion and Sustainability - Perspectives and Perceptions in China and Italy" took place on 14 April and was organized in collaboration with The Thinking Watermill Society. Moderated by Mario Di Giulio – Founder and Vice President of The Thinking Watermill Society and Partner of Pavia e Ansaldo, the conference saw the interventions of Dino Fortunato – Chief Technical Advisor of UNIDO ITPO Italy; Fashion Designers Francesca Liberatore and Michela Xiang; Elena Raho – Founder and Creative Director of HERE Fashion Hub; and Henri Joli – International Artistic Consultant and Expert in Fashion. The conference focused on the sustainability of the fashion industry in terms of raw materials, production models, consumptions and cultural impact, offering different insights from both Italy and China.

The second conference, "The international regional cooperation for the SILK FVG PLUS project" was organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy in collaboration with the Central European Initiative (CEI) and held on 14 April. This session, moderated by Carlo Fidanza, Project Manager of SILK2FVGplus and CEI, saw the participation of UNIDO ITPO Italy Head Diana Battaggia; Roberto Antonione – Secretary General of CEI; Antonio Paoletti – President of the Chamber of Commerce of Friuli Venezia Giulia; Xue Feng – President of Invest Shanghai; Dean Bassi – CEO of Barcolana International & Global Affairs; and Bruno Grassetti, Senior Partner of the OBOR Italian Institute. The session explored multiple investment projects and activities in different sectors in order to boost cooperation between China and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, both counterparts of the SILK2FVG Plus project and major international hubs of scientific and technological innovation.

The third conference, titled "RISE - Rome Initiative for Sustainable Enterprises" and organized in collaboration with the Italian OBOR Institute, was held on 15 April. This last session, moderated by Bruno Grassetti, Senior Partner of the OBOR Italian Institute, was joined by UNIDO ITPO Italy Head Diana Battaggia; UNIDO ITPO Shanghai Head Xiaolei Zhao; Kathy Huangfu – Vice Director of Shanghai Creative City Technology Development; Alberto Bradanini – President of the Center for Studies on Contemporary China, Andrea Sonnino – President of FIDAF; Donato Nitti – IPR Consultant; and Claudio Margottini, Engineering Geologist for UNESCO and Professor at the University of Florence. The conference introduced the RISE project, which is aimed at providing technical assistance to startups in developing countries along the Belt and Road Initiative in order to foster sustainable business models for emerging economies.

Held online from 12 to 15 April 2021, the Belt and Road Exhibition – Digital Edition 2021 successfully provided a platform for knowledge and cultural exchange, promoting business synergies, opportunities and cooperation among Italy, China and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative.