Paolo Dieci

On 10 March 2019, Paolo Dieci, a founding member of CISP and its President, lost his life in a tragic air disaster in Ethiopia.

Paolo dedicated his life to development cooperation, putting his expertise and commitment to work especially in contexts of crisis and extreme poverty.

Paolo's professionalism was recognised far beyond national borders and was second only to his humanity. His passion and tireless commitment to promoting solidarity and development in the poorest areas of the planet was rooted in the profound conviction that a more just, cohesive society based on respect for the fundamental rights of everyone was possible.

He was always attentive to the various aspects of issues and was determined to seek dialogue with all parties involved, starting with the leaders of development processes themselves in order to find shared and sustainable solutions, and to map out paths of change and development aimed at improving people’s lives.

Paolo's vast knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm have been an enormous source of inspiration for us over the years and it is a precious legacy we must honour and follow with perseverance and dedication.

Many initiatives have sprung up to remember Paolo, to cultivate his memory and to share his legacy.

On this page, we have collected and will continue to collect information on these initiatives and on the CHIRO project, the education support initiative dedicated to Paolo and developed by CISP in Ethiopia, a country he loved very much.

We also resolved to remember Paolo through his writings, of which we are publishing here as an archive of documents and works produced by Paolo throughout his professional life.
People who knew him will recognise his unique style of reasoning and engagement, and will find inspiration of great relevance in the debate on aid, cooperation and our way of being human.