Strengthen scientific cooperation on maritime issues in the Mediterranean: this is the theme of the meeting held today at the University of Palermo, where Prince Albert II of Monaco was visiting, to participate in the meeting of the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea (CIESM), on the eve of the opening of the 43rd congress which will be held tomorrow in the Sicilian capital.
Welcomed in the morning at Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri by the rector of the University of Palermo Massimo Midiri, the Monegasque sovereign, accompanied by Anne Eastwood, ambassador of Monaco to Italy, by the general director of Ciesm Laura Giuliano, and by Tidiani Couma, National Delegate of Monaco , chaired the meeting in the presence of the members of the delegation.
The objective of this meeting was to take stock of recent CIESM activities and explore new opportunities to strengthen scientific cooperation on maritime issues in the Mediterranean.
At the end of the meeting, the Prince and his delegation visited Palazzo Steria historic building dating back to the 14th century and the current seat of the rectorate of the University of Palermo. An emblematic monument of Sicilian history, as was highlighted during the institutional visit, the palace is an important testimony of Catalan Gothic architecture and an essential place to understand the periods of the Inquisition and medieval domination in Sicily.
The opening of the international congress
Sustainable fishing, impact of climate change, community commitment to protecting the marine environment: we will talk about it in Palermo from tomorrow Monday 14th October to Friday 18th as part of the 43rd congress of CIESM, the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of Mediterranean. The meeting, with 400 international researchers, will be inaugurated at 9.30 am at the Scuderia of Palazzo dei Normanni in the presence of representatives from the 23 member states of the Commission. Presiding over the ceremony will be HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, president of CIESM, who will give an introductory speech. For institutional greetings, Brigadier General Francesco Principe, military commander of the Army in Sicily, the councilor for cultural heritage of the Sicilian Region Francesco Scarpinato, the mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla and the president of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Gaetano Galvagno will take part.
Thanks to the support of the Region and the Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity and with the collaboration of the Army Military Command in Sicily, the completely renovated Royal Scuderia will host the ceremony which will also be embellished by the inauguration of a new exhibition on red corals, symbol of the fragility of the sea and the first victims of climate change.
The Monegasque sovereign has visited Italy numerous times, and his bond with the South is also strong: since 2018 he has been an honorary citizen of Palermo, while on 5 December 2005 the prince received the XIII International Prize for Letters, the Arts, science and culture awarded by the Bonino Pulejo Foundation. The motivation for the award assigned by the Board of Directors chaired by Sen. Nino Calarco, on the proposal of the then councilor and now president of the Foundation and of the Sud Gazzetta del Sud Giornale di Sicilia Publishing Company Lino Morgante, wanted to underline “the commitment made by the Principality in the field of international cooperation, solidarity and the protection of ecosystem of the Mediterranean Sea”. And it was from Messina that the second oceanographic campaign for the monitoring of the waters co-financed by the Bonino Pulejo Foundation, the Commission for the scientific exploration of the Mediterranean and by the CNR.
CIESM has supported multilateral research in the Mediterranean and Black Seas since 1910 with over 4,000 researchers from around 500 research institutes from 23 member states: Algeria, Germany, Cyprus, Croatia, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey.
Photo: Axel Bastello/Palais princier