BMW Launch ‘Award for Intercultural Innovation’

In an attempt to foster imagination and creativity to build collaboration among cultures, UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and BMW Group are set to explore in a joint initiative, the ‘Award for Intercultural Innovation’. The award represents a new kind of partnership between the private sector and the UN system.

Innovative projects that promote exchange and cross-cultural understanding will be selected and supported with money prizes. The ten most significant projects will be awarded for the first time in an award ceremony held during the fourth Annual UNAOC Forum in Doha (Qatar) on December 12.

An agreement was signed on September 23 at the UN’s New York Headquarters as part of the 66th UN General Assembly by President Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance, and Konstanze Carreras, Senior Official for Corporate Social Responsibility of the BMW Group. The signature took place in the presence of ministers from over 130 countries and international organizations and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

According to reports, the awardees will receive $50,000 (split between winners), guidance, potential partners, IT support, legal advice as well as increased visibility. In addition, the winners will be supported by services from the ‘World Intercultural Facility for Innovation’ (WIFI), a program initiated by the UNAOC in cooperation with the BMW Group. This will help award-winning projects become more efficient and expand to other places.