Giovanna Melandri

Giovanna Melandri (born 28 January 1962) is an Italian-American politician and cultural policy specialist. She was a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2012. During this time, she served as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities from 1998 to 2001, and as Minister for Youth Policies and Sport from 2006 to 2008. From 2008 to 2012, she held the position of president at the MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome. She is currently chair of the Human Foundation, a nonprofit organization involved in social innovation initiatives.^[1]

Giovanna Melandri was born on 28 January 1962 in New York City. She later moved to Italy, where she pursued her higher education. She earned a degree in political economy from the Sapienza University of Rome.

Before beginning her political career, she worked in both the private and nonprofit sectors. From 1983 to 1987, she coordinated a working group on industrial and technological policies at Montedison, an Italian chemical company. She then served as head of international relations at Legambiente, an environmental organization. In this capacity, she took part in the 1990 Bergen Conference on Sustainable Development and was a member of the Italian delegation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992.^[2]

From 1983 to 1987, Melandri coordinated a working group on industrial and technological policies at Montedison. She later worked in international relations for Legambiente, an Italian environmental organization. In 1990, she participated in the Bergen Conference on Sustainable Development and was a member of the Italian delegation to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992.

In 1991, she joined the national secretariat of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), which became the Democrats of the Left (DS) in 1998. From 1998 to 2001, she served as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities in the governments of Massimo D'Alema and Giuliano Amato, both part of the centre-left coalition.

Between 24 September 2001 and 31 December 2005, she was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.^[3]

On 17 May 2006, she was appointed Minister for Youth Policies and Sport in the second Prodi government. In 2007, following the formation of the Democratic Party (PD), she joined the new party as a founding member. She was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1994 with the PDS and was later re-elected in subsequent terms with the DS and the PD.

From 1992 to 2013, Melandri held leadership roles within the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS), Democrats of the Left (DS), and Democratic Party (PD). During the Legislature XII of Italy (1994–1996), she served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and chaired the Committee for Human Rights. She was also a member of the Special Committee on Childhood and contributed to legislative initiatives addressing sexual violence. She coordinated a parliamentary intergroup on bioethics for two years, focusing on topics including artificial reproduction, cloning, and living wills.

In the Legislature XIII of Italy (1996–1998), she was a member of the Culture Committee prior to her appointment as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities. During this period, she proposed legislation on issues such as adoption, bioethics, assisted reproduction technology, and extradition to countries where the death penalty is practiced. She also introduced bills related to publishing, telecommunications, and public broadcasting. In 1997, she represented Italy at the first World Forum on Television, organized by the United Nations.^[4]

From 1998 to 2001, Melandri served as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities. During her tenure, public funding for cultural policy reportedly exceeded €3 billion, and tax incentives for cultural investment were introduced. Restoration projects were undertaken, and policies supporting contemporary art and architecture were developed. A national law establishing the MAXXI museum was passed. In 1999, she co-organized the international forum "Culture Counts: Financing Resources and the Economics of Culture and Sustainable Development" in Florence, alongside World Bank president James Wolfensohn and U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton. In 2000, she participated as the European representative at the White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy, hosted by President Bill Clinton.

In the Legislature XIV of Italy (2001–2006), Melandri was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Italian parliamentary delegations to the Council of Europe and the Western European Union, and the Parliamentary Supervisory Commission on RAI, the national public broadcaster. She introduced bills relating to cinema, book promotion, and the protection of cultural heritage.

In the Legislature XV of Italy (2006–2008), she was appointed Minister for Youth Policies and Sport. In this role, she launched initiatives such as "Young Ideas Change Italy" (Giovani idee cambiano l'Italia) to support youth entrepreneurship, and "Let's Give Credit" (Diamogli credito), in collaboration with the Associazione Bancaria Italiana. She also established two public funds, one for youth policies and one for inclusive sport initiatives. Together with Giuliano Amato, then Minister of the Interior, she initiated the first Youth Committee for Interreligious Dialogue.

In 2005, Melandri participated in the Alliance of Civilizations, an initiative launched by Spanish and Turkish Prime Ministers José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the Legislature XVI of Italy (2008–2012), she was a member of the Committee on Culture, Education, and Science, and was re-elected to the Parliamentary Supervisory Commission on RAI.

• In 2024, Melandri joined the board of directors of Kering, a global luxury group.^[1]

• Honorary Dame Commander of the Civil Division of the Order of the British Empire (UK, 2000)
• Officer of the Legion of Honour (France, 2003; returned in 2020)^[3]

• Media related to Meet MAXXI Foundation President Giovanna Melandri at Wikimedia Commons