BMW Group And United Nations Alliance Of Civilizations (UNAOC) Announce Finalists For The 2014 Intercultural Innovation Award

NEW YORK and MUNICH, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW Group announced the 11 project finalists for the 2014 Intercultural Innovation Award today. More than 600 applications were received from over 100 countries in a highly competitive selection process.

Since 2011, UNAOC and the BMW Group have engaged in a historic partnership geared towards creating a new model for collaboration. The two organizations established the Intercultural Innovation Award whose mandate is to select the highly innovative grassroots and sustainable projects of non-profit organisations that promote dialogue and intercultural understanding, while making vital contributions to prosperity and peace in global societies.

This year's project finalists come from all over the world, representing countries across six continents. The many different regions they come from underline the importance of the Intercultural Innovation Award and its commitment to the worldwide promotion of intercultural diversity and understanding.

Finalists this year include: Africa e Mediterraneo – ComiX4= Comics for Equality (Italy), All Together Now – Everyday Racism (Australia), Arcenciel – A Circus School in the Service of Intercultural Dialogue (Lebanon), Association for Cultural Child and Youth Education in the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt – Equal for Equal (Germany), Department of Culture and Leisure, Municipality of Simrishamn – More Than One Story (Sweden), Fundacion CONSTRUIR – Intercultural Dialogue and Plural Justice: Strengthening Indigenous Justice (Bolivia), Manav Seva Sansthan – Facilitating Informed and Safe Migration among Vulnerable Nepalese Migrants along the Indo-Nepal Border (India), Post-Conflict Research Center – Ordinary Heroes (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Wapikoni mobile – International Network of Aboriginal Audiovisual Creation (Canada), Welcoming America – Welcoming Cities and Counties Initiative (USA) and Youth Service Organization – Intercultural Dialogue Awareness Rising For Cooperation  (Rwanda).

The final podium will be announced within the framework of the 6th Global Forum of the UNAOC in Bali, Indonesia. The official award ceremony will take place on 28 August and will be chaired by President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, and Bill McAndrews, Head of Communications Strategy, Corporate and Market Communications, BMW Group, in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

In case of enquiries please contact:
Milena Pighi, BMW Group, Corporate Communications, Spokesperson CSR
Telephone: +49-89-382-66563, Fax: +49-89-382-24418, Milena.PA.Pighi@bmw.de

Nihal Saad, Spokesperson for the UN High-Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations
Telephone: +1-212-457-1751, saadn@un.org

Internet: www.press.bmw.de

E-mail: presse@bmw.de