On 30 March 2021 UNIDO ITPO Italy Head Ms. Diana Battaggia participated as panel speaker in the virtual Parliamentary Meeting “Cross-regional cooperation in shaping a resilient economic recovery” organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TURKPA).

The online conference gathered many relevant policy experts from UN agencies and international organizations, with the goal of reinforcing inter-parliamentary dialogue across Mediterranean regions in order to address economic challenges in the post-pandemic scenario. Among the topics debated, fiscal and monetary policies; the transition to green and digital economies; tourism recovery; vaccine cooperation; and financial resources mobilization.

Moderated by H.E. Amb. Sergio Piazzi, Secretary General of PAM, and Hon. Giulio Centemero, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the panel discussion also saw the interventions of: Hon. Javanshir Feyziyev, Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Member of the TURKPA Commission on Legal Affairs and International Relations; Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Member of the Portuguese National Parliament and Vice President of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board; Dr. Edward Calthrop, Senior Head of Climate Policy at of the European Investment Bank (EIB); Dr. Mukesh Kapila, Professor at the University of Manchester and PAM Senior Advisor; Mr. Arnault Prêtet, Deputy Head of the Central Asia Unit at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Mr. Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Hon. Pedro Roque, President of the PAM 2nd Standing Commitee on Economic, Social and Environmental Cooperation; H.E. Asaf Hajiyev, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC); and further experts in the field.