Remarks
by
H.E. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
The High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
at
Plural+ Awards Ceremony
Paley Center for Media – December 4, 2014
Good evening everyone,
I am very happy to see a full house here at the Paley Center for Media.
This is our 6th year of collaborating with IOM in the development and implementation of PLURAL+ – we would like to thank IOM for this excellent partnership. We would also like to thank all PLURAL+ partners, but tonight – in particular – we would like to express our gratitude to the Paley Center for Media; they have been a PLURAL+ partner and supporter from the very beginning, opening their doors and inviting us to celebrate PLURAL+ Awards Ceremony in this magnificent setting. Thank you!
PLURAL+ , which is one of UNAOC flagship programs, is another example of our commitment to supporting youth empowerment every where. In this particular case creative, artistic, empowerment towards mainstreaming the voices of young people in media regarding topics that truly touch and influence their lives, such as the main themes of PLURAL+: migration, diversity and social inclusion.
We often speak about youth, but we seldom give them platforms to express themselves, to broadcast their own media representations.
PLURAL+ is an initiative that aims at precisely that: provide global platforms of multi-media distribution of youth-produced media messages on the themes of human rights, social inclusion, and peaceful co-existence among individuals from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
Tonight we will have the opportunity to see and experience three outstanding videos made by young people, sometimes very young (younger than 12 years of age). They are all conveying very clear message, inviting us to question our own assumptions when it comes to mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue.
We look forward to seeing the three PLURAL+ International Jury Winners, coming to us from Spain, Canada and Jordan; and to seeing you all after the ceremony during the reception.
I wish you all an enjoyable evening.