Last Saturday, on June 26, 2021, the Prefect of Milan Renato Saccone, representing the President of the Republic, officially awarded our President Gabriele Nissim the title of Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. The ceremony took place at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Music in Milan.

Such an achievement rewards more than thirty years of commitment - first as a historian and writer, then as the President and founder of Gariwo - in researching and promoting the stories of the Righteous, who have tried or are trying to prevent genocides, defend human rights, and safeguard the truth and the memory of persecutions.

Founded in Milan in 1999 by Nissim, the honorary consul of the Republic of Armenia Pietro Kuciukian, and the philosophers Annamaria Samuelli and Ulianova Radice, Gariwo has promoted the creation of more than 150 Gardens of the Righteous across the world, all inspired by the Garden of Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem.

Above all, Gariwo has promoted and enhanced the memory of the Good across the world. This happened through the Day of the Righteous and thanks to a network of thousands of people who share the goal of preventing extreme evil in our time and for future generations.