Gianni Vernetti
Encyclopedia
Early life
Vernetti was born in Torino, Italy. In 1985 he obtained a degree in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Torino. In 1987 he was awarded a PhD in Urban Ecology from the Politecnico di Milano university.Career
Between 1993 and 1999 Vernetti was Deputy Mayor at the City of Torino, in charge of Public Works, Environment and Sustainable Development, and Urban Renovation. In 2001 he was elected to the Chamber of DeputiesChamber of Deputies
Chamber of deputies is the name given to a legislative body such as the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or can refer to a unicameral legislature.-Description:...
of the Italian Parliament. He is member of the National Steering Committee of his party Democrazia è Libertà-la Margherita, a center-left political party member of the European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
(EDP) and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
In 2006 he was elected to the Senate of the Republic
Senate of the Republic
Senate of the Republic was the name of the upper house of Turkish Parliament between 1961-1980- History :Although the Turkish Parliament was established in 1920 to replace the older Ottoman Parliament, the parliament was composed of only the lower house. Turkish Constitution of 1961 introduced the...
, and after the center-left coalition won the general election he became Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Prodi government. He was in charge of all bilateral relations between Italy and the Asia/Pacific countries. Vernetti coordinated all the Italian initiatives in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, where Italy takes part in the NATO military mission and is coordinating the Justice Sector and Rule of Law Reform.
He promoted the new Italian policies towards Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
implementing several development aid projects, and improving economic, commercial and military cooperation. Vernetti coordinated the Italian aid to the countries affected by the 2004 tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. He coordinated the Italian initiatives in Asia promoting several projects of economic, scientific, commercial and military cooperation, particularly between Italy and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Vernetti coordinated the Italian initiatives in the Pacific area and promoted the entrance of Italy into the Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
. He represented Italy in the UN Human Rights Council.
In 2008 Vernetti was elected for a third term in the Chamber of Deputies and he is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Italian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentarian Assembly. He is member of the Steering Committee of the European Democratic Party
European Democratic Party
The European Democratic Party is a centrist European political party in favour of European integration. It was initiated on April 16, 2004 and formally founded on December 9 in Brussels...
.
He is Coordinator of the Alliance of Democrats an international network of more than 70 democratic, liberal and centrist political parties from all the five continents.
He is co-president of the Italian Group of the Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...
.
He became President of the Italy-Darfur Parliamentary Association in 2008, and Vice-President of the Italy-Israel and Italy-Tibet Parliamentary Association.
He writes regularly on foreign politics in the Italian daily newspapers Il Riformista
Il Riformista
Il Riformista is an Italian political and financial newspaper, based in Rome, Italy.- History :Launched on 23 October 2002, initially the newspaper was formed of about four pages with Orange as main colour used....
and Europa.