BMW Group and Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) honour ten organisations from ten countries with the Intercultural Innovation Award.

Dubai. The BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance
of Civilizations (UNAOC) have bestowed ten organizations from ten
countries with the Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA) for their
outstanding social commitment. The award ceremony took place last
night at the Expo 2020 in Dubai, on the margins of the themed week on
Tolerance and Inclusivity, and the International Day of Tolerance.
“The Intercultural Innovation Award honours people and projects that
promote diversity, tolerance and inclusion in a particularly creative
way. These are the values that move us forward as a society and as a
company. We are convinced that progress requires cohesion – that is
what the BMW Group stands for. Together with UNAOC, we make a
meaningful contribution to respectful dialogue,” says Ms. Ilka
Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human
Resources and Labour Relations Director, and patron of the award. The
awards ceremony was also attended by Her Excellency Ms. Reem Ebrahim
Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation of the
United Arab Emirates and Managing Director of the Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau.

 

“As the Intercultural Innovation Award celebrates its 10-year
anniversary, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and
the BMW Group continue to collaborate to promote a more inclusive
global community by strengthening grassroots initiatives that are
deeply committed to fostering intercultural dialogue and
understanding. We count on continuing this ever-growing collaboration
between UNAOC and the private sector, which has shown to amplify and
strengthen the work of social innovators around the world. It is their
commitment and visionary thinking that have given the UNAOC-BMW Group
partnership such value and impact,” said Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos,
High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

 

Diversity and understanding – for strong civil societies worldwide.

The BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
(UNAOC), through the Intercultural Innovation Award, have been
promoting intercultural understanding and strenthening civil societies
for the past ten years. This year, 1,100 organizations from 120
countries applied to the open call. With the support of an
Internationa Jury, ten organizations were selected, coming from ten
different countries: Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India,
Mexico, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Switzerland. The awardees will each
receive financial support of 20,000 US Dollars. They will also receive
professional mentoring from the BMW Group, UNAOC and the consulting
firm Accenture. Among other things, the selected organizations will
benefit from business and strategic project support and become members
of the Intercultural Leaders network, which connects professionals and
specialists worldwide. Yesterday’s award ceremony was hosted by Mr.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the High Representative for UNAOC, and Ms.
Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human
Resources and Labour Relations Director, and patron of the award.

 

Since its inception, the Intercultural Innovation Award has been
conferred to 71 organizations, reaching more than five million people
worldwide with their projects. The BMW Group and the United Nations
Alliance of Civilizations have very recently agreed to continue their
successful partnership in the years to come.

 

 

The award winners (in alphabetical order):

 

Initiatives of Change International – International
Trust Building (Switzerland).
The International Trust Building
programme supports communities in times of conflict and social
upheaval, providing resources to address and overcome conflict issues.
For example, board games have been developed for young people in
Indonesia who are vulnerable to extremist groups. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/international-trustbuilding/

 

La Cana, Productos Con Causa – Knitting a Better
Future (Mexico).

La Cana is a non-profit organisation that promotes fair working
conditions and vocational training for women in prison. La Cana
enables these women to produce high-quality handmade products and earn
an income away from crime. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/knitting-a-better-future-la-cana/

 

Mediterranean Youth Foundation – Dialogue on the
Human Fraternity Document (Egypt).

This project is the world’s first inter-religious youth dialogue. It
uses workshops to empower youth to implement the concept of “human
fraternity” in their communities and counter hate speech, extremism
and intolerance. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/dialogue-on-the-human-fraternity-document/

 

MITTI Social Initiative Foundation – MITTI Café
Inclusion with Every Meal (India).

MITTI Café runs “inclusion cafés” staffed by people with
disabilities. By facilitating interaction, MITTI Café promotes
awareness of inclusion and provides a safe workplace for people with
disabilities. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/mitti-cafe-inclusion-with-every-meal/ 

 

Peacegeeks Society – Arrival Advisor (Canada).

Arrival Advisor provides refugees and migrants with reliable
information about the asylum application and immigration process in
Canada. The app provides newcomers with all the information they need.
Once downloaded, they can access all resources anonymously and
offline. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/arrival-advisor-peacegeeks-society/

Place Network – Emerging Leaders (France).

PLACE Network was launched in 2017 and offers a platform for
refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to make their success stories
visible and motivate them to actively participate in the social life
of their adopted country. The project highlights the cultural, social
and economic benefits of migration for society. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/emerging-leaders-place-network/

 

Politize! Civic Education Institute – Politize!
Ambassadors Programme: Promoting Civic Empowerment for All (Brazil).

Since 2018, the Politize! Ambassador Programme has been sharing
knowledge, training opportunities and education experiences with young
people who want to participate in the political life of their
communities. Civic education workshops train young people to become
leaders in politics and society. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/politize-ambassadors-program/

 

Spielen in der Stadt – Always Remember, Never Forget (Germany).

Always Remember, Never Forget is a joint project of Spielen in der
Stadt e.V. (Playing in the City) and the Munich Documentation Centre
for the History of National Socialism. Schoolchildren find new ways of
engaging with Munich’s National Socialist past through creative film,
dance theatre and performance formats. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/always-remember-never-forget/

 

Street Project Foundation – Creative Youth Boot Camp:
Art for Social Transformation (Nigeria).

The Creative Youth Boot Camp brings together young people from over
200 ethnic groups in Nigeria to get creative together. Performing arts
are used as a means to address and counteract social conflicts. The
young people’s stories become scripts for theatre performances and
radio play series that they produce together. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/creative-youth-booth-camp/

 

Strengthening Youth Leadership Collective – SMART
Advocates: For Effective Dialogue to Address Grassroots Conflicts (Sri Lanka).

The Youth Leadership Collective is a community of young people who
have been engaged in community development work across all ethnic and
religious lines in Sri Lanka since 2013. The SMART Advocates Programme
trains people to take action against hate comments and misinformation
on social media platforms. More information: https://interculturalinnovation.org/smart-advocates-sylc/

 

Please contact us directly if you have any questions:

 

Corporate communications

 

Milena Pighi, BMW Group Spokesperson Corporate Citizenship

Phone: +49-89-382-66563, Milena.PA.Pighi@bmw.de

 

Alessandro Girola, Programming Coordinator, UNAOC

Phone: +1 929 274-6217, Email: alessandrog@unops.org

 

Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com/deutschland

Email: presse@bmwgroup.com

 

The BMW Group

 

The BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of
automobiles and motorcycles with its BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW
Motorrad brands, and a provider of premium financial and mobility
services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and
assembly plants in 15 countries; the company has a global sales
network with representatives in over 140 countries.

 

The BMW Group achieved global sales of more than 2.3 million
automobiles and over 169,000 motorcycles in 2020. Earnings before tax
in the 2020 financial year amounted to EUR 5.222 billion and turnover
was EUR 98.990 billion. The company employed 120,726 people worldwide
as at 31 December 2020.

 

Long-term thinking and responsible action have always been at the
heart of the BMW Group’s economic success. The company set its course
for the future very early on and consistently places sustainability
and resource conservation at the centre of its approach – from the
supply chain and production right up to the end of the use phase of
all its products.

 

www.bmwgroup.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupView

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmwgroup

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bmw-group/

The 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.

 

https://www.unaoc.org

 

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/