Remarks by Ms. Nihal Saad,
Director of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
at the High-level Panel Discussion on
“Fostering Culture and Creative Economy for Sustainable Development”
March 2025, 3:00pm, Conference Room 8, United Nations, New York
It’s a great pleasure to participate in this meeting and I thank the Permanent Missions of Uzbekistan and Indonesia for inviting UNAOC.
If you will allow me to take a different approach in my intervention by zeroing on UNAOC’s work on the ground that have had impact on the beneficiary communities, in the next few minutes, I will highlight good practices and success stories that UNAOC supported with the aim of making sustainable development an attainable reality, while we recognize that much more has to be accomplished in the next 5 years.
In contribution to the prevention agenda, under the Youth, Media and Education pillars, UNAOC has continuously supported and developed the capacities of young talented creators to develop media and digital content skills, recognizing those skills as a very important driver to job creation and innovation.
Last November, at the 10th UNAOC Global Forum in Cascais, Portugal, UNAOC and the IOM announced the 2024 recipients of their joint initiative, the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival. We recognized a total of 32 films from 21 countries based on their insightful and engaging exploration of themes related to migration, diversity and social inclusion. The films, created by young people, originated from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, the Russian Federation, Spain, Timor-Leste, Tanzania, the USA and Yemen.
The PLURAL+ International Jury recognized, inter alia: 1) the short film “Weirdies”, shot by second-grade students at Maestro Camilo Hernández Primary School (Spain), who celebrated the beauty of individuality and diversity, reminding audiences that embracing differences unites and strengthens.
Another recognition went to two young people from Kenya for their film “Include Me”, advocating for the inclusion of women in decision-making processes and highlighting challenges they face, such as poverty and lack of access to education and resources.
Since 2011, UNAOC and the BMW Group have partnered around the Intercultural Innovation Hub. Under the IIH, we empower grassroots organizations, enabling them to reach their full potential so that they can contribute to a more just, peaceful and inclusive society, and elevate social innovation by offering holistic and long-term support to those organizations.
This initiative scales social innovation, enhances project impact, and fosters sustainable replication in diverse contexts.
Within the programme of the UNAOC 10th Global Forum , UNAOC and the BMW Group, with the support of Accenture, recognized 10 outstanding initiatives, which will receive long-term mentorship support, capacity-building training and opportunities for scaling up their work across and beyond their communities.
Among the 2024 recipients were as follows: 1) The Global Nomads Group (USA), which Content Creation Lab offers unique internship experiences for young people aged 11-25 from around the world via youth-designed social media platform; 2) Kota Kita NGO from Indonesia, which focuses on preparing children to be at the forefront of designing child-friendly and inclusive cities, envisioning them as future urban leaders capable of making impactful decisions for their communities; and 3) Circus Zambia – a special social model that focuses on the creation of inclusive, healthy and secure community, serving as a pathway to sustainable revenue through circus arts. Circus Zambia empowers young people with tools and skills to lead transformative change with a positive, long-lasting impact in Zambia. Next month, we will have our the first in-person workshop in South Africa.
The Youth Solidarity Fund. In 2024, UNAOC recognized and provided financial and capacity-building support to 7 youth-led organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
The Ikon Initiative for Sustainable Development NGO based in Sierra Leone used intercultural dialogue, sports and drama performances to promote peace education, create safe spaces for open conversations, foster empathy and equip community members with conflict resolution skills.
The Zomba Center for Creative Arts from Malawi brought together Muslim and Christian youth to fight preconceived stereotypes and enhance social cohesion in their communities, and showcased cultural heritage, arts and music that strengthen relationship building between the two communities.
Another flagship programme is the Young Peacebuilders programme. Originally piloted in 2016 in West Africa, this initiative aims to equip young people with the skills to play a positive role in peace and security efforts. It has since expanded to the MENA region and Latin America and the Caribbean. For the first time, the programme in its 8th edition will focus on Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Given the region’s complex socio-economic and political dynamics, investing in its youth is vital for preventing, fostering social cohesion, and cultivating a culture of peace and resilience and supporting the overall potential of young persons in strengthening their capacities.
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, just a few weeks ago, at the 13th Conference of the Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World: “Impact of Culture on Socio-Economic Development” the High Representative addressed the opening session underpinning the importance of advancing a culture of peace as a key pillar in preventing violent extremism, emphasizing intercultural and interreligious dialogue to foster mutual understanding and social cohesion.
I take this opportunity to commend the work of St. Kitts and Nevis, introduced by the Permanent Representative in her remarks – especially in terms of embracing all of forms of culture such as the arts as a tool for advancing cultural diversity. This resonates with many activities that UNAOC is already undertaking.
These were in a nutshell few examples showcasing our work on the ground with grassroots demonstrating how fostering intercultural dialogue and elevating social innovation can contribute to sustainable development.
Before concluding, I wish to congratulations to the Permanent Missions of Italy and Cyprus for the establishment of the Group of Friends of Culture.
I thank you.