Winners of the Intercultural Innovation Award announced this Sunday/Award Ceremony in the Presence of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Doha on December 11

Munich /New York/Doha.  After looking at more than 400 entries from 70 countries, an international jury of experts has chosen from a shortlist of 44 proposals the top 10 for the ‘BMW Group Award for Intercultural Innovation in support of the Alliance of Civilizations under the auspices of the United Nations’. The 10 nominees are invited to present their projects in an award ceremony on December 11th during the Fourth Annual Forum of the Alliance in Doha, Qatar. 

The Intercultural Innovation Award is the result of a new partnership between the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group. The applicants came from more than 70 countries, including emerging powers such as China or Brazil, but also from the newest country in the world, South Sudan, in addition to one of the smallest ones, the Solomon Islands.

Following presentations by each of the nominees, the final classification will be announced. Konstanze Carreras, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of BMW Group, and Jorge Sampaio, Former President of Portugal and High Representative for the Alliance will chair the ceremony. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also be present at the event.

The Fourth Annual Forum of the UNAOC, of which the award ceremony is a part, will gather heads of state, government officials, civil society organizations and corporate sector to prioritize advancing cross-cultural understanding as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Following the Award Ceremony, the UNAOC and the BMW Group will contribute resources to support development of the projects. The total amount of the funds awarded will be USD 50,000. In addition to the monetary prize, winners will become members of the World Intercultural Facility for Innovation (WIFI).  This will allow them to receive direct support from the UNAOC and the BMW Group and their respective networks in order to scale up and replicate their various initiatives in different settings.

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 conferences 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/ or contact:

Konstanze Carreras,

BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs

Corporate Social Responsibility

Phone: +49-89-382-52894, Fax: + 49-89-382-28017