Ambassador Paolo Francesco Fulci, historic member of Italian diplomacy and President of Ferrero until December 2019, passed away in Rome on Friday at the age of 90. He leaves his wife Claris and children Sebastiano, Marie Sol and William.

Originally from Messina, Fulci had entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1956, and during his long diplomatic career he served Italy in important world capitals such as Tokyo, Paris, Moscow, Ottawa before being appointed Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations.

During this assignment he met Michele Ferrero in Brussels, forming a close friendship with him which, after his retirement as ambassador, also became professional. For over 15 years, Fulci was vice president of the Ferrero International holding. And on the death of Pietro Ferrero, in 2011, he also assumed the position of president of Ferrero Spa, the Italian company of the group, a role he held until 2019.

As Permanent Representative to the UN (a post exceptionally extended by the Government for almost two years after reaching the age limits), between 1993 and 1999, Fulci brought an innovative approach to multilateral diplomacy, giving particular importance to close and constant of all his collaborators, the so-called "Fulci boys". His work led Italy to win 27 out of 28 elections in the Security Council. Among the victories, the most important was that of October 1994 (obtained with 167 votes out of 170) for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.

In his years at the UN, he worked on the important procedural resolution of 1998 on the rules for appointing the Security Council: a legendary battle to block a reform that would have enlarged the body to only a few countries, excluding Italy. In addition, his strenuous commitment to the moratorium on the death penalty should be remembered. Madeleine Albraight, US Secretary of State at the time of the Clinton presidency, recognized his greatness by saying "Your diplomacy is legend".

In more recent years, he has worked effectively for the defense of the food model of the Mediterranean Diet, helping to thwart various attempts to impose "universal" diets in contrast with the traditions of our country.

The current President Giovanni Ferrero, in an obituary published in Corriere della Sera, recalled him as "an exceptional man, a great family friend, always successfully present in all the battles that the Ferrero group has faced in the last twenty years".

EFA News had the privilege of meeting and interviewing Fulci on several occasions. As evidence of the passion with which he had dedicated himself in recent years to the issues of nutrition and nutritional aspects, we like to propose this 2018 report on an important scientific conference organized with the contribution of Ferrero. In addition to an excerpt from his greeting speech, there is also an exclusive interview, in which Fulci recalled some important traits of the vision of Michele Ferrero, founder of the Alba company.

Watch the video: