Munich. The BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance
of Civilizations (UNAOC) are carrying their cooperation forward on
promoting intercultural dialogue and strengthening civil societies,
which started exactly ten years ago. “We are proud of a decade of
partnership with UNAOC and the contribution we are making through
educational initiatives and intercultural dialogue worldwide. We are
therefore delighted to be continuing this successful partnership,”
said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
Human Resources, Labour Relations Director.
“It is an honour to celebrate 10 years of partnership with the BMW
Group, particularly given the important work we are doing towards
social inclusion and diversity. We count on continuing this
ever-growing collaboration between the United Nations and the private
sector, which has shown to amplify and strengthen the work of social
innovators around the world”, said Miguel Angel Moratinos, High
Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
10 years of advancing diversity and intercultural dialogue.
The partnership between BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations (UNAOC) began in 2011, a time within which both partners
presented the Intercultural Innovation Award for the first time. This
award, which has been bestowed regularly since then, honours projects
around the world that promote intercultural understanding and diverse,
inclusive societies. To this day, 61 award winners have been able to
reach more than five million people worldwide with their projects
since the Intercultural Innovation Award’s inception.
Award ceremony at EXPO 2020 – the stage of cultural diversity.
This year, the award ceremony will take place on 18 November as part
of the themed week on tolerance and inclusivity at this year’s Expo
2020 in Dubai. Over 1,100 organisations from 120 countries applied to
an open call for applications which this year focused particularly on
targeting projects that promote gender equality and advocate for
women’s rights, combat violent extremism, hatred and prejudice, and
use art, culture and sport as enablers of social change.
The Intercultural Innovation Award: Commitment that lasts.
Besides the financial support of 200,000 USD to be divided equally
across the 10 selected projects, award winners will also benefit from
professional project guidance from the BMW Group, UNAOC and the
business consulting firm Accenture. Recipients will also receive
managerial and strategic project support and become part of the
“Intercultural Leaders” network, which connects professionals and
managers across the globe. “The award ceremony is a very special
moment: the successful organisations will be able to put their ideas
into action and receive valuable professional support from our project
partners. We are pleased to see that so many impressive projects
applied again this year. This shows the depth of creativity and
innovative power that surrounds cultural diversity,” said Ilka
Horstmeier in her role as the patron of the Intercultural Innovation Award.
With partnerships like this, the BMW Group pursues its goal of
shaping societal change. The company wants to contribute to
sustainable progress ecologically, economically, and socially. This
aspiration was also made apparent at the IAA Mobility 2021: A light
show projected the UNAOC logo and United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals onto the façade of the company’s headquarters in
Munich to mark the partnership’s anniversary.
For further questions please contact:
Corporate Communications
Milena Pighi, BMW Group Corporate Communications and
Governmental Affairs,
Spokesperson Corporate Citizenship
Telephone: +49-89-382-66563, Milena.PA.Pighi@bmw.de
Markus Sagemann, BMW Group Corporate Communications and Governmental Affairs
Head of Communications HR, Work Environment, Real Estate, Corporate Citizenship
Telephone: +49-89-382-68796, Markus.Sagemann@bmw.de
Media website: www.press.bmw.de
Email: presse@bmwgroup.com
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW
Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and
motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services.
The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly
facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in
more than 140 countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and
more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the
financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting to €
98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a workforce
of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company set its course for the
future early on and is making sustainability and resource efficiency
the focus of the company’s strategic direction – from the supply
chain, through production, to the end of the use phase, for all its products.
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView
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United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative
of the UN Secretary-General, which aims to improve understanding and
cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and
religions and help counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism.
UNAOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments
of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations. In
January 2019, H.E. Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos assumed the position of
High Representative for UNAOC, succeeding H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, who succeeded H.E. Mr. Jorge Sampaio.
UNAOC maintains a global network of partners, including states,
international and regional organizations, civil society groups,
foundations, and the private sector, to improve cross-cultural
relations between diverse nations and communities.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unaoc.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/unaoc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unaoc/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/unaocvideos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unaoc/