Codeway Expo
The international development cooperation fair at Fiera Roma
About Codeway Expo
A trade fair where cooperation becomes business
Codeway Expo is the trade exhibition that brings the world of development cooperation to Rome every spring, hosted at the Fiera Roma district along the Via Portuense. Organized by Fiera Roma in partnership with Internationalia, the event gathers UN agencies, Italian and European institutions, civil society organizations, universities, development banks, and private enterprises under one roof. Its stated goal is operational rather than celebratory: to bring financiers, project designers, and implementers to the same table, ensuring that sustainable development goals translate into actual tenders, partnerships, and investments.
Rome, the capital of cooperation
The choice of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region, is no coincidence: the city hosts the headquarters of the UN food agencies—FAO, IFAD, and the World Food Programme—as well as the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. Codeway Expo leverages this unique ecosystem, making it accessible over three days with the support of the Lazio Region, Lazio Innova, the Rome Chamber of Commerce, and under the High Patronage of the European Parliament.
How the fair is organized
The exhibition layout is divided into thematic villages that group operators by sector, facilitating meetings between those seeking solutions and those offering them. Historically represented sectors include:
- Global Health — medical devices, pharmaceuticals, telemedicine, and healthcare systems
- Energy and Infrastructure — renewables, access to electricity, sustainable construction
- Water and Agri-food — local supply chains, food security, irrigation
- Digital and Innovation — artificial intelligence, data, connectivity, startups
- Training, Education, and Human Capital
- Emergency and Crisis Governance
Alongside the stands, the conference program takes place across multiple rooms, featuring institutional panels, technical workshops, and tender presentations. A significant section is dedicated to scheduled B2B and B2G meetings, allowing companies to speak directly with multilateral buyers and foreign delegations.
The audience and atmosphere
The atmosphere is that of a professional trade fair rather than a festival: you walk between NGO stands and corporate pavilions, switch from an English-language conference to a technical roundtable in Italian, and meet aid workers just back from the field, international officials, researchers, and students. The youth component has grown significantly over the years: Roman universities and training institutes bring entire classes to the fair, and several sessions are designed for those looking to enter the sector.
Why it is worth attending
For those working in cooperation, Codeway Expo is the annual opportunity to understand where resources are moving: which financial instruments are active, which UN agency tenders are coming up, and which partner countries are launching new programs. For the curious, it is a rare window into how Italy builds its relationships with Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America, and Asia. Admission is free with online pre-registration, making the event accessible to students and casual visitors alike.
Useful information about the district
Fiera Roma is located in the Ponte Galeria area, on the western outskirts of the capital, along the route connecting Rome to Fiumicino. It is a modern venue, served by a dedicated train station and large parking areas, designed to host large-scale international events.
Codeway Expo — edition 2026
Codeway Expo 2026: cooperation looks to business
The seventh edition of Codeway Expo was held at Fiera Roma from Wednesday, May 13 to Friday, May 15, 2026, with a clear guiding theme: the private sector is no longer a secondary actor, but a strategic partner in development cooperation. The event was inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli.
The program was built as a progressive three-day journey, with five conference rooms active in parallel, over thirty panels, and more than one hundred Italian and international speakers. Alongside the conference sessions, B2B and B2G matchmaking meetings took place, connecting Italian companies with multilateral buyers and foreign delegations.
Institutional participants included: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, AICS, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, SACE, SIMEST, and ICE for the Italian system; and UNIDO, UNOPS, UNHCR, WFP, FAO, and UNDP for the UN system. Regional collectives from Lazio and Umbria were also present, along with numerous companies active in artificial intelligence, digital health, and sustainability.
Programme Codeway Expo 2026
Wednesday, May 13 — Operational tools for businesses
A day dedicated to development finance, international procurement, and access to cooperation markets. The program included a workshop on the Misura Impresa Impatto and Sviluppo Più financing instruments, a focus on investments in Uganda by UNIDO ITPO Italy, and a panel on global health with GAVI, CEPI, and the Global Fund. At 4:00 PM, a panel on UN procurement opportunities featured UNOPS, UNHCR, WFP, FAO, and UNDP, addressing a market exceeding 25 billion dollars.
Thursday, May 14 — Major global development issues
Energy, water, health, innovation, education, sports, and crisis governance. Highlights included a discussion on technical human capital and, at 4:00 PM, a panel on the integration between emergency response and development cooperation with the Civil Protection Department.
Friday, May 15 — Food systems
The final day focused on agri-food systems, featuring a high-level FAO meeting on local agri-food systems, a CIHEAM Bari panel on food value chains, and a discussion on cooperation through sports with CONI and president Luciano Buonfiglio.
Highlights Codeway Expo 2026
- Inauguration with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Edmondo Cirielli
- Over 100 speakers and more than 30 panels across five conference rooms
- Panel on UN procurement: a market worth over 25 billion dollars
- Focus on global health with GAVI, CEPI, and the Global Fund
- High-level FAO meeting on local agri-food systems
- B2B and B2G matchmaking sessions with multilateral buyers
- Regional collectives from Lazio and Umbria
- High Patronage of the European Parliament
Prices Codeway Expo 2026
Practical information — Codeway Expo
How to get there
By train: The Fiera di Roma station is located in front of the North entrance and is served by the FL1 line (Orte–Fiumicino Airport), with direct connections from Tiburtina, Tuscolana, Ostiense, and Trastevere. By car: Take the Fiera di Roma exit from the A91 Rome–Fiumicino motorway; paid parking is available on-site. By plane: Fiumicino Airport is about ten minutes away by train.
Admission
Access to the event is free upon online registration on the official website. Registration also grants access to conferences, except for some invitation-only meetings.
Tips
Check the conference program before arriving: there are multiple rooms, and the most popular panels fill up quickly. If your goal is business meetings, book your B2B appointments in advance via the dedicated platform. Allow at least half a day to visit all the thematic villages.
Contacts
Fiera Roma Srl, Via Portuense 1645/1647, 00148 Rome — tel. +39 06 65074533 — www.codewayexpo.com
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Where does it take place — Codeway Expo
Fiera Roma
Via Portuense 1645/1647, 00148 Roma