January 31st, 2014
Ms. Maria Cristina Messa,
Rector, Milan Bicocca University
Silvia Kanizsa, Director, Riccardo Massa Department of Human Sciences for Education,
Mr. Bill McAndrews,
Vice President for Communications Strategy, BMW Group
I am very pleased to be here among you today at this extraordinary event. I would like to thank BMW group for hosting this event.
The 3rd Bicocca Intercultural Day is a true reflection of peaceful co-existence and intercultural dialogue and no place would have been more apt to host such gathering other than the world-class Milan Bicocca University and this beautiful city of Milan. A city that has historically been a bridge between the Mediterranean sea and Northern Europe. It has inspired great icons such as Michael Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci as well as being the seat for the famous La Scala opera house.
Building bridges across cultural and religious borders, fostering understanding, promoting respect for diversity and inspiring people through arts, music and sports is also the business of United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the core of its mission. In that respect, I would like to applaud everyone gathered here today, university teachers, intellectuals, Local government and community representatives for holding this important event for the third year in a row. After all, it is our belief that peace, stability and prosperity around the world require harmony, dialogue and respect among peoples and cultures.
Since 2011, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group have engaged in a historic partnership geared towards creating a new model for collaboration between the private sector and the UN system. In fact, reaching out to strengthening cooperation between the Alliance and the corporate sector is one of the priorities that I identified during my tenure.
The Alliance in partnership with the BMW Group have established the Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA), a global venture that aims at identifying and supporting grassroots organizations that are working to alleviate identity-based tensions and conflicts around the world.
Why we do that? Because we often focus our attention on conflicts and suffering. This is necessary. But we also need space for hope and enthusiasm. The Intercultural Innovation Awards provides an opportunity to celebrate those who believe that a more cohesive and inclusive world is not only possible but also indispensible.
During the past two years, the Intercultural Innovation Award awarded twenty grassroots initiatives helping them to become sustainable, scale up and replicate. They all represent living models of how intercultural dialogue can lead to more peaceful and inclusive societies.
We have the indeed the conviction that the corporate sector, the civil society and the media are essential components and crucial actors if we want to be able to reach this goal of living together peacefully in a diverse world. They are the real change agents that are close to the people who understand the dynamics of the modern and complex world.
Today, we are launching the Third Edition of the Intercultural Innovation award. Innovative initiatives are encouraged to apply and have the opportunity to benefit from the joined support and expertise of UNAOC and BMW Group.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me to further elaborate on the work we do at the Alliance with a special focus on our Four Pillars: Youth, Media, Education and Migration. These key areas of focus have immense potential to inform and educate societies about the virtues of pluralism and inclusiveness.
I have also expanded the key areas of UNAOC engagement to include concepts and means that may help us understand each other better. That’s why I decided to add Sports, Art and Entertainment which so far I call (SMARTe) with a view towards deeper engagement by all relevant actors. These concepts can bring together nations and peoples regardless of their differences; yet trust me this can really work.
As I stand here today, at your esteemed university, I would like to point out to our engagement with academia.
The approach of UNAOC is rooted in human dignity, respect for human rights and educating people.
Given its mission, the UNAOC attempts to reach out to universities, the intellectual institutions, civil society and religious organizations, to build networks for the realization of the goals that we mutually share.
When it comes to media, the loudest voices tend to get the microphone, spreading hatred and incitement and misleading the public debate on identity-based conflicts. One of our biggest challenges is to change this negative narrative through skill-building training to journalists around the world in partnership with Google and the World Bank.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me say again that we cannot address the global challenges without working together. And this is exactly what we are all doing here today.
In concluding, I would like to thank BMW Group and Mr. Bill McAndrews for their continued support to the Alliance and their commitment to our partnership.
Thank you.