The BMW Award for Intercultural Innovation was given to ten initiatives from around the world at the fourth UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum on December 12.
Jorge Sampaio, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and
Konstanze Carreras, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of BMW Group, chaired the ceremony for the Award for Intercultural Innovation, in presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
This award represents a new kind of partnership between the private sector and the UN system that aims to select highly innovative projects that promote exchange and cross-culture understanding, and make a vital contribution to safety and peace in societies around the world.
More than 400 proposals from 70 countries were considered for the award. This included projects from emerging powers such as China and Brazil, but also others, such as one from South Sudan, which is the newest country in the world, and another from the Solomon Islands, which is the smallest country in the world. The award-winning projects work in a wide-range of areas, including the role of youth and women in promoting intercultural understanding, immigration, and integration, and the use of social media in fostering collaboration on common problems among people from different parts of the world.
The Award for Intercultural Innovation aims to make the work of its awardees more impactful through connecting their initiatives to new resources, and helping them expand their work.
This year’s winners of the Award for Intercultural Innovation are:
- All for Peace Radio Station www.allforpeace.org
- CafeBabel www.cafebabel.com
- Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution – MEJDI www.crdcgmu.wordpress.com
- Chirom e. Chino chiromechino.blogspot.com
- Irènia, Jocs de Pau www.irenia.net
- Kickfair www.kickfair.org
- Maytree Foundation www.maytree.com
- Participatory Culture Foundation www.pculture.org
- Vaga Lume Association www.vagalume.org.br
- Youth Empowering Parents www.yepeducation.com
The award’s selection jury was comprised of a diverse group of individuals:
Dr. Barry Van Driel, Secretary General of the International Association for Intercultural Education
Pr. Rajendra K. Jain, Professor for European Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Mark Terkessidis, Journalist, Author and Migration Researcher
Pr Dr Vernor Muñoz Villalobos, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education
Nayé Bathily, Parliamentary Liaison, World Bank
Dr Amel Grami, Professor, University of Manouba, Tunisia
Nadin Shiban, Director of the project department in the Jerusalem Foundation
In addition to a cash prize, the UNAOC and the BMW Group are committed to help these projects expand and replicate in other settings where they may be useful. Winner will become members of the WIFI: World Intercultural Facility for Innovation. The WIFI is a platform for winners to connect with potential donors and mentors and among themselves. Under the coordination of the WIFI team, they will participate in conference and workshops; they will be connected to policy-makers and foundations; and they will become active members of the WIFI community of practitioners, helping each other in
achieving their particular goals.
For further information, please visit: http://Interculturalinnovation.org
