Intercultural Innovation Award (IIA) Ceremony
Pecatu Hall 3&5, BNDCC 2
August 28, 2014 – 7.00 PM
Statement of the High Representative
Distinguished Head of States and Governments, Honorable Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am really thrilled to join you on this stage here in Bali for the 2014 Intercultural Innovation Award Ceremony.
Building bridges across cultural and religious borders, fostering understanding and dialogue, promoting diversity are all at the core of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations’ mission.
During the Forum that starts tomorrow, we will participate in enriching and stimulating debates. But we need to ensure that this dialogue leads to action that is real and concrete, and make this world better for everyone.
The Intercultural Innovation Award is an extraordinary example of this commitment to action. In partnership with BMW Group, since 2011, 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.
Creativity, commitment, resilience, courage and passion are all qualities that define the people that will be honored tonight: they are all witness of how small changes can contribute to global peace and prosperity and therefore make a difference.
Let me thank very much the BMW Group for its vision and support to this initiative and of course for making this award a reality.
Let us all celebrate outstanding achievement and creativity. Let us all get inspired by these champions. Thank you.