International Cooperation and Communication: Prof. Massimo De Giuseppe Interviewed by Avvenire

In an international landscape marked by a crisis of multilateralism, declining investment, and a growing disconnect with the public, international cooperation faces the need to rethink how it communicates its role and value.

This is the central theme of the interview with Prof. Massimo De Giuseppe, Dean of the IULM School of Arts, Fashion, and Tourism and Scientific Director of the Master’s Program in Communication for International Cooperation and the Nonprofit Sector, published on September 3 in *Avvenire* and written by journalist Lucia Capuzzi.

According to De Giuseppe, communication itself is today one of the fundamental tools for revitalizing the sector and rebuilding a relationship with the public:“To give new momentum to cooperation, it is essential to start with communication [...]. The key players in this ‘leap forward’ must be professionals capable of navigating the current context and contributing to the consolidation of the model, alongside multilateral and state actors.”

This need goes hand in hand with a shift in the skills required of those who choose to work in international cooperation and the nonprofit sector. It is no longer sufficient, explains Prof. De Giuseppe in the interview, to rely exclusively on volunteerism or on highly specialized technical experts: we need professionals with a broad-based education, capable of understanding the transformations of the international landscape and translating them into appropriate strategies and language.

From the climate crisis to rising inequality, from the role of criminal organizations to the challenges posed by globalization and new technologies, those working in international cooperation today must grapple with increasingly interconnected and complex phenomena. For this reason, Prof. De Giuseppe emphasizes, we need professionals with “a broad yet specialized education,” capable of analyzing and interpreting these changes.

It is in response to this need that the IULM Master’s Program in Communication for International Cooperation and the Nonprofit Sector was created, which will resume its second edition in the fall of 2026 at the IULM campus in Rome. The program combines theoretical training with direct engagement with professionals and organizations working in the field, through workshops conducted in collaboration with sector leaders such as Save the Children, CESVI, Oxfam, FAO, AICS, the UN SDG Campaign, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and WeWorld.

This program aims to prepare professionals who are not only capable of communicating about international cooperation but also of understanding its dynamics and contributing to the development of new models in a profoundly transformed global context.

Itisa complex challenge, but one that, according to De Giuseppe, can no longer be postponed:“It’s not an easy task, but we have no other choice: the alternative to effective and structured cooperation is an increasingly fractured planet.”

The full interview with Prof. Massimo De Giuseppe, “The Revival of International Cooperation Begins with ‘Good’ Communication, ” by Lucia Capuzzi, was published in *Avvenire* on September 3, 2026.