MADRID — The Award Ceremony was held last night at the Royal Theatre in Madrid, Spain in front of representatives from the public and private sector, civil society and media. The Ceremony was chaired by the High Representative for UNAOC and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, H.E. Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, and Mr. Bill McAndrews, Vice President Market Communications, BMW Group.

“As the Intercultural Innovation Award enters its sixth edition, UNAOC and the BMW Group continue to collaborate to magnify the work of cutting-edge social innovators,” said Mr. Moratinos during his opening remarks. “In today’s global context, marked by conflicts of a complex nature, civil society organizations have the power to influence individual behaviors and foster the values of respect and inclusion, and therefore play a critical role in advancing these values among their communities.”

“With the Intercultural Innovation Award we celebrate outstanding initiatives implemented by extraordinary individuals. They are working to bridge intercultural divisions in innovative and impactful ways. We at the BMW Group believe that diversity not only enhances our company, it is the very foundation on which our success is built. That is why we are so proud of our strong partnership with the UNAOC. This collaboration and the Intercultural Innovation Award enable us to recognize some of the remarkable cross-cultural work being done worldwide” said Mr. Bill McAndrews.

About the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom

The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom is a Muslim-Jewish grassroots organization in North America, soon expanding to Germany, which focuses on interfaith engagement to build the respect, trust, and relationships necessary to prevent and combat hate, negative stereotyping and prejudice. Through chapter meetings, regional and international gatherings, as well as various trainings and other resources, the organization’s “sisters” develop relationships and gain the skills to react quickly to incidents in their communities in order to stand together in the face of hate.

“This award proves what we set out to do: we could change the world one woman at a time,” said the organization’s Executive Director Sheryl Olitzky. “It demonstrates the impact of creating inclusive spaces that foster peace and love between Jewish and Muslim women,” added the organization’s co-founder Atiya Aftab.

The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom has grown into a movement reaching thousands of women and girls, changing the way in which the two faith groups view each other, celebrating their commonalities, and respecting their differences.

About the Intercultural Innovation Award

As a global company with a multi-national workforce, the BMW Group has been working for many year now to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue. Between 1997 and 2010, the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Learning was presented to 40 innovative projects aimed at fostering a sustainable and open relationship between different communities.

In 2010, the BMW Group decided to further develop the award under the motto “support in addition to financial reward”. For the first time, the awardees of the “BMW Group Award for Intercultural Commitment” received individual consultancy from company associates in addition to the prize money.

In 2011, the BMW Group started a unique partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) geared toward creating a new model for collaboration between the private sector and the United Nations system. Together, they established The Intercultural Innovation Award whose mandate is to select highly innovative grassroots projects that promote dialogue and intercultural understanding and make vital contributions to prosperity and peace in global societies.

This model of collaboration between the United Nations and the private sector creates a deeper impact, as both partners provide their respective expertise to ensure the sustainable growth of each project.

During the course of the year, the selected projects can reap the benefit of expertise and resources from the BMW Group and UNAOC. In addition to receiving a monetary prize, the finalists will have the opportunity to participate in training activities and workshops covering diverse subjects such as strategy and planning, implementation analysis and media training, as well as becoming members of the exclusive “Intercultural Leaders” network and receive customized project support based on their individual and specific needs.

The BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2018, the BMW Group sold over 2,490,000 passenger vehicles and more than 165,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2018 was € 9.815 billion on revenues amounting to € 97.480 billion. As of 31 December 2018, the BMW Group had a workforce of 134,682 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

United Nation Alliance of Civilization

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is an initiative of the Untied Nations Secretary-General which aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and to reduce polarization at local and global levels.

UNAOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations.

The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres appointed Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé of Spain as his High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations, from January 2019. UNAOC is supported by the Group of Friends, a community of countries and international organizations which actively promotes the Alliance’s objectives and work at the global, regional and local levels.

Working in partnership with governments, international and regional organizations, civil society groups, foundations, and the private sector, the Alliance is supporting a range of projects and initiatives aimed at building bridges among a diversity of cultures and communities.

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CONTACT:

BMW Group
Milena Pighi, Spokesperson Corporate Social Responsibility
[email protected]
+ 49 89 382-66563

UNAOC
Alessandro Girola, Programming Coordinator, UNAOC
[email protected]
+1 929 274-6217