Hon. Silvia Velo is currently appointed as Under Secretary of State of the Italian Ministry of Environment Land and Sea, with a focus on sea policies. In this capacity, she participated in the 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States and in the High-Level Meeting on “Healthy Oceans and Seas: Paving the Way towards a Sustainable Development Goal” during the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly. In 2015 and 2016, she served as the Italian high-level representative at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. On 28 February 2014 Hon. Velo was appointed Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Environment Land and Sea under the Renzi Government. In 2014, during the Italian Presidency of the European Union, she promoted the "Livorno Charter for Sustainable Sea", an international charter for the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive in support of marine biodiversity. From 2010 to 2013 she was Deputy Chair of the Italian Parliamentary Committee for Transport and Telecommunications. In this capacity, she presented various parliamentary initiatives on sustainable development, maritime transport, sea navigation, and the sustainability of small Islands. In 2013 and 2008 she was re-elected Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and became member of the Parliamentary Committee for Transport and Telecommunications. In April 2006 she was elected member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies. In 2004, she was re-elected Mayor of Campiglia Marittima. As Mayor and focal point of the Agenda 21 program, she promoted an original and constructive policy for sustainability, creating numerous initiatives to combat the loss of marine biodiversity. In 1999 she was elected Mayor of Campiglia with a list of center-left representatives. In 1995 she was Councilwoman for her hometown Municipality of Campiglia Marittima. In 1992 she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pisa with a Degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology and holds a PhD in Chemistry and Pharmacology. Silvia Velo was born in 1967 at Campiglia Marittima – Livorno, Tuscany.
