About us

The World Gastronomy Institute (WGI) is a transnational NGO with Consultative Status, accredited by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Collaborating Entity of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Collaborator and a Member of the UNITWIN Network of the UNESCO Chair on Food, Culture and Development UOC.

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The WGI since its foundation in 2007 collaborates, very actively, with Intergovernmental Organizations, Associations, Public Administrations (national governments, territorial and local administrative divisions) and Diplomatic Missions, also providing support to the business network relating to gastronomy.

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World Gastronomy Institute, due to its international presence in the academic, research and development context,  is considered the most influential gastronomic Organization in the world, usually intervening in more than a hundred projects simultaneously in dozens of countries.

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Currently, more than a hundred Collaboration Agreements are in force, offering leadership and support to the food sector in advancing knowledge and local and global policies worldwide. 

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The spirit imbued by the founders has continued to be maintained and extended at the General Assemblies held, including the administrative restructuring in 2012 with the change of Headquarters to Spain, and there-foundation of the Organization in 2017, when it was approved to dissolve the Organizations and Local associations belonging to the WGI, constituting a single Global Entity.

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It serves as a global forum for gastronomic policy issues and a practical source of knowledge through its activities and actions such as the organization and participation in meetings, seminars, conferences, events, contests, congress, publications, and educational initiatives. WGI encourages the implementation of a Global Code of Ethics for Gastronomy, to maximize the contribution of this discipline to socio-economic development, while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to promoting food as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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WGI's messages and activities are of increasing importance today, in a globalized world where interconnections, geographic mobility, the need for sustainable development and diversity must serve as opportunities to build peace in people's minds.

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A world where gastronomy has a preponderant role, since it intervenes in the social transformation and development of Humanity, in such crucial issues as: differentiation of national identity, strategic area of creating Wealth richness, setting up employment, source of healthy life, share and like essential food tourist agent; as academic and educational issues. And as fundamental element of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Mission

OBJECTIVES

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The Organizational Aims of the WGI are to promote and develop sustainable gastronomy -rational, thinking and responsible-  to contribute to cultural and socioeconomic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. In pursuing these Aims, WGI gives particular attention to the interests of developing countries in the field of gastronomy, including Food in all its manifestations, the process of food production, culinary culture and its diversity, educational and informative models, Food Tourism, associations and institutional treatment, economic influences and, above all, in what affects people.

PRIORITIES

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● Engaging with the Governments and Public Administrations and the private sector, regional and local food organizations, Academical and researcher institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive gastronomic sector.

● Mainstreaming the food culture in the world agenda: Advocating the value of gastronomy as a driver of growth, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper, taking care of the earth, and working for the reduction of inequalities in the world.

● Fostering knowledge society, education and capacity building: Supporting actors to assess and address their needs in academic training, as well as providing networks, meeting and events for Creation and Exchange of knowledge, at the service of the majority.

●Improving gastronomic competitiveness: Getting better the cuality and sectorial competencies through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable food tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

● Constitute and build a meeting space in which to explore and unite International Relations and Gastronomy, being de facto a platform prepared to promote the analysis, study and divulgation of these matters, interrelated or converging

● To achieve the objectives, the WGI will seek: Gathering different internal actors in a forums of dialogue, organizing Meetings and Events. Generating academic documentation that serves as an international benchmark. Be a platform speaker to the social movements that promote the quality food and agriculture. Creating working groups with common interests. And advise the public and private sector involved, in institutional relations, communication, educational and organizational issues

Structure

The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Gastronomy Institute. It meets periodically to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate topics of vital importance to the food sector in related subjects such as culture, tourism, society, employment, health, economy, education and divulgation.

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The General Assembly is responsible for selecting a Secretary-‎General and approvingthe lines for policy action and master guidelines of the Councils.

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The WGI is coordinated by the Executive Council, which has a Steering Committee for conclusive decisions. The Institution has an Advisory Council organized in National Delegates, Delegate Ambassadors and Advisors. The only difference in the classification is that the National Delegates have a more executive role, the Ambassadors a more representative role and the Advisors a consultative role.

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The Entity delegates some functions in different Subsidiary Organs such as the Committee on Education, the Commission of Divulgation and Communication, the World Committee on Ethics, Committee on Food Tourism, Committee on Hospitality and Hostelry Sector, Committee on Alcoholic Traditional Beverages, Intangible Heritage Committee and the Commission of Food Culture.

ATTENTION: Section in progress. The organization chart will be completed periodically.

Click on the Councils to see the short CVs of the Members.

Executive Council / Steering Committee

José Manuel Iglesias

Secretary-General

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Blanca Berrón

Vice-President of Communication

and Publications

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Chandra Shamsher

Associate Vice-President in India

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Frédéric Duhart

Institutional Advisor on

Academic Affairs

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Rosa María González

Institutional Advisor on

Academic Affairs

Carlos Durán

Institutional Advisor on

Culinary Issues

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Satur Cantó

Commercial Relations Manager

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Gumer Guerra

Communication Consultant

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Rosa Santofimia

Deputy Director of the General

Secretariat Office

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Luis Tesón

Corporate Vice-President

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José Ramón de Elías

Senior Vice-President of Legal Affairs

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Gabriel Leonart

Associate Vice-President in Chile

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Jocelyne Napoli

Institutional Advisor on

Academic Affairs

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Begoña Sieyra

Consultant on Institutional Affairs  

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Antonio Pérez

Deputy Director of the

General Secretariat

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Joaquín de Toro

Executive Director of

Corporate Security

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Víctor García

Communication Consultant

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Board and Subsidiary Organs

F. Xavier Medina

President of Committee

on Education

David Basilio

President of Committee on

Hospitality and Hostelry Sector

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Jordi Tresserras

President of Committee

on Food Tourism

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Isabel Mijares

President of Committee on

Alcoholic Traditional Beverages

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Special Consultants

John Clancy

Special Consultant on Institutional

Affairs in Culinary Arts

Manesh Fernando

Special Advisor on

International Hospitality

Roy D. Palmer

Special Consultant on Seafood Affairs

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Juan José Burgos

Senior Vice-President of Ethics and 

Gastronomic Culture

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Enrique Fernández

Associate Vice-President of Traditional Alcoholic Beverages Affairs

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Gaspar Ros

Associate Vice-President of

Academic Affairs

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Marios D. Sotiriadis

Special Consultant in

Academic Affairs

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Sara Carducci

Consultant on Institutional Affairs

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Almudena Villegas

Gastronomic Culture

Consultant

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Juan Suárez

Director of Institutional

Security Affairs

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Isaac Abad

Consultant on Image Affair

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Lluís García

President of Intangible

Heritage Committee

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Luis Alves

Director-General of Culinary Relations

Delegate Ambassador Portugal

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Advisory Council

Delegate Ambassadors / National Delegates

Thomas A. Gugler

Honorary

Ambassador

Donna J. Keren

Delegate Ambassador

USA

Florencio Sanchidrián

Special Ambassador of

Gastronomic Culture

Manfred Muellers

Delegate Ambassador

South Africa

Adolfo Muñoz

Delegate Ambassador

Spain

Nhi Nguyen Thi Hong

Delegate Ambassador

Vietnam

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Filiz Hösükoğlu

National Delegate

Turkey

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Akamine Jun (赤嶺淳)

National Delegate

Japan

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Hanhee Hahm

National Delegate

South Korea

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Laura Pérez-Orta

National Delegate

Venezuela

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Anita Stewart

National Delegate

Canada

Ragnar Fridriksson

International

Ambassador

Tracey Santiago

Delegate Ambassador

Philippines

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Fiorella Dallari

Delegate Ambassador

Italy

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Miloš Lachkovič

Delegate Ambassador

Slovakia

Tahir Amiraslanov

Delegate Ambassador

Azerbaijaz

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Emrah Köksal

Delegate Ambassador

Turkey

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Gladys Pérez-Ferrando

National Delegate

Argentina

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María Galán

National Delegate

Colombia

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Patricia Fernández

National Delegate

Peru

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Carlos Amezquita

National Delegate

Colombia

Saurabh Kumar Dixit

Delegate Ambassador

India

Sidney C. H. Cheung

Delegate Ambassador

China

Mauro J. Ferreira 

Delegate Ambassador

Brazil

Erich Glavica

Delegate Ambassador

Croatia

Gary Filbey

Delegate Ambassador

United Kingdom

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Paul Christiaan Klieger

Delegate Ambassador

Hawaii (USA)

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Carlos Fernandes

National Delegate

Portugal

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Roberta Curiazi

National Delegate

Ecuador

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Jean Paulin Mengue

National Delegate

Cameroon

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Daniel Negreira

National Delegate

Taiwan - ROC

Advisory Members

Olivia Bringas 

Advisory Member

México

Robbie Postma

Advisory Member

Netherlands

Americo DiFronzo

Advisory Member

USA

Rosana Mazaro

Advisory Member

Brazil

Zdravko Krnjajić

Advisory Member

Slovenia

Kristine Oevreboe

Advisory Member

Norway

Uros Urosevic

Advisory Member

Serbia

Nihal Kadıoğlu Çevik

Advisory Member

Turkey

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Jennifer Kim Lian Chan

Advisory Member

Malaysia

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Mª Luisa Safont

Advisory Member

Spain

José Maria Egea

Advisory Member

Spain

Antonio P. Russo

Advisory Member

Spain

Álvaro Arriola

Advisory Member

Mexico

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João Pedro Gomes

Advisory Member

Portugal

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Christian Holvoet

 Advisory Member 

Chile

Patrick Strefford 

Advisory Member 

Japan

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Fransisca Wijanarko

Advisory Member

Indonesia - Singapore

Elisa Magnani

Advisory Member

Italy

Nithyanandan Mohan

Advisory Member

India

Ticiana Oliveira

Advisory Member

Brazil

Knud-Erik Larsen

Advisory Member

Denmark

Alessandro Dirienzo

Advisory Member

Italy

Paul E. Siserman

Advisory Member

Romania

Sara Nässén

Advisory Member

Sweden

Georgine Leung

Advisory Member 

United Kingdom

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Marianela Olivares

Advisory Member

Spain

Antonella Pellettieri

Advisory Member

Italy

Antonio Khalaf

Advisory Member

Spain

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Chindu Chandran

Advisory Member 

India

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Alejandro Ordás

Advisory Member 

Spain

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Julio Quiroz de la Rosa

Advisory Member

Chile

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Kamaleswar Kalita

Advisory Member

India

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Angelo Vettese

Advisory Member

Italy

Larisa Veselova

Advisory Member

Russia

Robert Gelinas

Advisory Member

Malaysia

Gisela Dezillio

Advisory Member

USA

Danijela Pantic

Advisory Member

Serbia

Tsuchiya Naofumi

Advisory Member

Japan

Antonio J. Gras

Food Culture

Advisor

Isabel Gimeno

Advisory Member

Spain

Olivier Michils

Advisory Member

Belgium

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Ernesto Di Renzo

Advisory Member

Italy

Roberta Garibaldi

Advisory Member 

Italy

Alejandra Feldman

Advisory Member

Spain

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Lara González 

Advisory Member

United Kingdom

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Ana Paula Guimarães

Advisory Member

Portugal

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Hiroko Sasaki

Advisory Member

Japan​