On the Side of Women with the “Bianca Pomeranzi Award”: here Are the Winners of the Second Edition

The award ceremony for the second edition of the Bianca Pomeranzi Prize has just concluded at the headquarters of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Out of the twenty-eight theses submitted this year from universities across Italy, two were selected as winners.

Date:

19 June 2025

Reading time:

1 min

Women’s Empowerment, Food Security, Purple Points, Family Planning, and Self-Determination Are the Focus of the Award-Winning Theses in the 2025 Edition

The award ceremony for the second edition of the Bianca Pomeranzi Prize has just concluded at the headquarters of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). Out of the twenty-eight theses submitted this year from universities across Italy, two were selected as winners.

Bianca Rastelli, who earned her degree in International Agricultural Policies from the University of Bologna, was awarded for her thesis titled “Women’s Empowerment and Food Security: Evidence from Rural African Contexts and Political Implications.” She received a part-time internship with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – West and Central Africa.

Marzia Degetto, a graduate in International Relations from the University of Turin, was recognized for her thesis “The Geographies of Fear: Between Practical Applications and the Re-signification of Space. An Analysis of the Purple Points in the City of Turin.” She was selected for a part-time internship with AIDOS. These internships were generously funded by the European Women’s Management Development Network – Rome Chapter (EWMD-Rome), the RUT Foundation, UNFPA, and the Alma Sabatini International Documentation Center.

A special mention was also awarded to Chiara Casarini, a graduate in International Relations from the University of Turin. Her thesis, titled “Between Family Planning and the Self-Determination of Women’s Bodies: The Case of El Salvador,” was recognized as the best among those evaluated.

The ceremony, held on Thursday, June 19 – which also marks the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict – featured speakers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), AICS, the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the International House of Women, along with organizations involved in funding and implementing the internships awarded through the Prize.

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Last update: 27/06/2025, 13:20