BMW Group and Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) celebrate 10 years of partnership and extend their cooperation.

Munich. The BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) are carrying their cooperation forward on promoting intercultural dialogue and strengthening civil societies, which started exactly ten years ago. “We are proud of a decade of partnership with UNAOC and the contribution we are making through educational initiatives and intercultural dialogue worldwide. We are therefore delighted to be continuing this successful partnership,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Human Resources, Labour Relations Director.

“It is an honour to celebrate 10 years of partnership with the BMW Group, particularly given the important work we are doing towards social inclusion and diversity. We count on continuing this ever-growing collaboration between the United Nations and the private sector, which has shown to amplify and strengthen the work of social innovators around the world”, said Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

10 years of advancing diversity and intercultural dialogue.

The partnership between BMW Group and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) began in 2011, a time within which both partners presented the Intercultural Innovation Award for the first time. This award, which has been bestowed regularly since then, honours projects around the world that promote intercultural understanding and diverse, inclusive societies. To this day, 61 award winners have been able to reach more than five million people worldwide with their projects since the Intercultural Innovation Award’s inception.

Award ceremony at EXPO 2020 - the stage of cultural diversity.

This year, the award ceremony will take place on 18 November as part of the themed week on tolerance and inclusivity at this year’s Expo 2020 in Dubai. Over 1,100 organisations from 120 countries applied to an open call for applications which this year focused particularly on targeting projects that promote gender equality and advocate for women’s rights, combat violent extremism, hatred and prejudice, and use art, culture and sport as enablers of social change.

The Intercultural Innovation Award: Commitment that lasts.

Besides the financial support of 200,000 USD to be divided equally across the 10 selected projects, award winners will also benefit from professional project guidance from the BMW Group, UNAOC and the business consulting firm Accenture. Recipients will also receive managerial and strategic project support and become part of the “Intercultural Leaders” network, which connects professionals and managers across the globe. “The award ceremony is a very special moment: the successful organisations will be able to put their ideas into action and receive valuable professional support from our project partners. We are pleased to see that so many impressive projects applied again this year. This shows the depth of creativity and innovative power that surrounds cultural diversity,” said Ilka Horstmeier in her role as the patron of the Intercultural Innovation Award.

With partnerships like this, the BMW Group pursues its goal of shaping societal change. The company wants to contribute to sustainable progress ecologically, economically, and socially. This aspiration was also made apparent at the IAA Mobility 2021: A light show projected the UNAOC logo and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals onto the façade of the company's headquarters in Munich to mark the partnership’s anniversary.