- UN Secretary General
lauds winners as contributors to global peace,
prosperity
BALI, Indonesia, Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW
Group announced the ranking of the 11 finalists of the 2014
Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA) Thursday at the UNAOC Sixth
Global Forum. All finalists will be awarded support to help their
project grow.
More than 1,200 participants representing heads of states and
governments, foreign ministers, and members of the Alliance Group
of Friends attended the Forum.
The IIA Award, jointly awarded by UNAOC and BMW Group,
recognizes non-profit organizations worldwide for innovative
grassroots programmes that contribute to dialogue, understanding,
and acceptance of diversity among differing cultural, ethnic, and
religious groups.
The top prize went to the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) –
Bosnia-Herzegovina for its
"Ordinary Heroes" retrospective. The project recalls individual
acts of moral courage responsible for saving lives during times of
ethnic violence and genocide, which are used to inspire dialogue
leading to understanding and individual acceptance of
differences.
In his award ceremony remarks, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded the creative efforts of the
IIA winners, citing them as contributors to global peace and
prosperity.
In addition to monetary prizes, all 11 finalists will receive a
year-long programme of consulting help tailored to their unique
needs. Winners include:
- Second, All Together Now (Australia). "Everyday Racism" app for smart
phones exposes users to prejudice experienced by culturally
disadvantaged groups
- Third, Manav Seva Sansthan "SEVA" (India). Safe migration project promotes rights
and aids prevention of human trafficking along Nepal border
- Fourth, Welcoming America (USA). Welcome plans create attractive
environments for talented immigrant arrivals
- Fifth, Arcenciel (Lebanon).
Marginalised youth from differing backgrounds achieve mutual
understanding through performing arts
IIA honourable mentions in alphabetical order include:
- Africa e Mediterraneo
(Italy). Immigrant comic-strip
artists
- Association for Cultural Child and Youth Education
(Germany). Women tell their
stories of gender discrimination
- Department of Culture and Leisure, Municipality of Simrishamn
(Sweden). Intergenerational card
game
- Fundacion CONSTRUIR (Bolivia).
Promotion of a multicultural understanding of laws as adjudicated
both by state and indigenous authorities
- Wapikoni mobile (Canada).
Workshops and short film production focusing on cultural
identity
- Youth Service Organization (YSO) (Rwanda). Tradition of dance and music to bring
people together
Contacts
UNAOC:
Nihal Saad
1-212-457-1751
saadn@un.org
BMW Group:
Milena Pighi
+49-89-382-66563
Milena.PA.Pighi@bmw.de