UNIDO: the cooperation flag created by artist Mario Arlati on display at Codeway

UNIDO ITPO Italy — the Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization — will participate in Codeway Expo by Fiera Roma — the international exhibition dedicated to the role of the private sector in the new global scenarios of cooperation development — and within the event will host from 15 to 17 May 2024 the art exhibition by Mario Arlati featuring the artwork “UNcompleted flag”.

The artwork

At the center of the art exhibition, the protagonist will be the artwork "UNcompleted flag", an idea conceived by artist Mario Arlati and Head of UNIDO ITPO Italy Diana Battaggia. The artwork is the result of the craft laboratory carried out in July 2023 in collaboration with art gallery Monza Arte Contemporanea (M.Ar.Co.) and the Social Enterprise Il Carro. The project, embraced by UNIDO ITPO Italy and the Contini Art Gallery of Venice-Cortina d'Ampezzo, allows to explore and transmit the highest and noblest values of industry in terms of sustainability, inclusiveness and cooperation.

«Three are the pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. From this perspective, a key theme for UNIDO's mandate is circular economy, through the adoption of mindsets and business models against waste and in favor of recycling products and materials» highlights Ms. Battaggia. «Another key theme in UNIDO's work, and in common with the laboratory, is inclusiveness, involving youths and women to promote socio-economic development in different realities of the world, especially where the most challenging issues arise».

In fact, the youths of Il Carro had the opportunity to paint together the flag of the United Nations on a canvas made with recycled waste materials from the textile sector. The laboratory therefore offered the youths from the social enterprise not only an opportunity to interact among each other, but also a tangible example, in a practical and engaging way, of circular economy in action.

«With this laboratory I created a group of youths who played with colors around the canvas, the materials, and when you see the final result of each single unit, which all together compose this artwork... the amazement, the possibility that you give to some people to make themselves useful, it's an uncontainable joy» comments artist Arlati.

The exhibition

The grand opening of the art exhibition will be on Wednesday 15 May at 11:00 AM (CEST), on the first day of Codeway Expo. In addition to the flag of the United Nations, the exhibition will feature other works by the artist belonging to his latest collection on display and various flags of countries in which UNIDO operated. The exhibition will remain accessible free of charge for all three days of the event, upon registration to Codeway.

Two unpublished videos and a catalog were created by M.Ar.Co. and Picture of Change, and will tell the story of the "UNcompleted flag", which stands as best practice capable of combining art, integration and promotion of cooperation processes.

Codeway Expo

UNIDO ITPO Italy's participation in Codeway 2024 will feature various moments of inclusion, meetings and discussions at Stand B4 in Pavilion 8. Among the events on the agenda:

• “The New Era of Industrial Policy: Insights from UNIDO's Industrial Development Report 2024”, the UNIDO conference taking place on 16 May at 12:00 PM (CEST) in the plenary session area;
  
  
• Visit of the high-level Iraqi institutional delegation, as part of the UNIDO project “Investment Promotion for Iraq – Phase II” financed by the Italian government through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), for the event “Business & Cooperation in Iraq” on 15 May at 3:00 PM (CEST) in the Innovation Arena;
  
  
• “Twinning partnership for empowering Lebanese SMEs in the winery industry”, the event dedicated to projects financed by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and implemented by UNIDO ITPO Italy, which will be held on 16 May at 10:30 AM (CEST) in the Project Hub area.

To participate in the exhibition, please register to Codeway Expo via the following link.

For more information, please contact itpo.rome@unido.org.