The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
The United
Nations A...
The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
The United
Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005, at the
initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the
United Nations. This initiative seeks to reduce tensions across cultural
divides that threaten to inflame existing political conflicts or trigger new
ones. Through preventive diplomacy initiatives, it work at grassroots level,
promoting education, youth, media and migration projects aimed at building
trust and respect among diverse communities.
In January
2013, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed Nassir Abdulaziz
Al-Nasser, former President of the UN General Assembly, as UN High
Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations. The UNAOC is supported by a
Group of Friends – a community of over 100 member countries and international
organizations and bodies- and a Secretariat, based in New York, NY. UNAOC is
funded by multiple donors and is administered by UNOPS.
The
Intercultural Innovation Award is a partnership between the UNAOC and the BMW
Group. This Award is unique in that it introduces a new form of partnership
between the private sector and the UN. The Award selects and supports the most
innovative grassroots projects that encourage intercultural dialogue and
cooperation around the world. Awardees will draw from one-year active support
and consulting from the UNAOC and the BMW Group in order to help them to become
more efficient and to expand, as well as enable their transfer to other
contexts or settings where relevant.
Project support is provided based on the specific needs of Award
recipients. The one-year support program also consists of a monetary prize,
training and capacity building, recognition and visibility, and membership to
“Intercultural Leaders”.
After
the one-year support program, alumni of the IIA will still benefit from their
Intercultural Leaders membership. Intercultural Leaders is an exclusive skills
and knowledge-sharing platform for civil society organizations and young
leaders that work on addressing cross-cultural tensions. Through an
innovative online system, Intercultural Leaders harnesses the solidarity of its
members to maximize the impact of their work and help them foster cross-cultural
understanding and cooperation.