Proceedings of the Award Ceremony : UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize 2014

Introduction/Summary

The 2014 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence was awarded to Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat (Mali) and Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia (Chile)

The Deputy Director General of UNESCO, Getachew  Engida, awarded the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence to the two peace and human rights activists Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat from Mali and Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia from Chile during a ceremony held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 14 November 2014.

The Award ceremony was symbolically linked to the International Day for Tolerance, celebrated annually on 16 November, the anniversary date of the foundation of UNESCO, which begins celebrations marking its 70th anniversary this year.

The ceremony was an opportunity for UNESCO to recall the importance of tolerance as a fundamental principle of life in society, and as the basis for the construction of peace, social harmony and human development.

UNESCO was founded upon the conviction that lasting peace must be constructed in the minds of men and women, by nurturing the principles of tolerance and mutual respect through education, dialogue among cultures and intellectual cooperation. Today, the call for tolerance in our thoughts, in our beliefs and in our behaviour has never been more urgent.

We live in a world where cultural diversity is targeted by extremist groups, where cultural cleansing persecutes minorities, where economic and social crises are sometimes used as pretexts to search for scapegoats and to reject Others.

Faced with these challenges, UNESCO strongly reaffirms its commitment and determination to promoting tolerance through its educational and cultural programmes. UNESCO encourages women and men, governments and civil society to go beyond passive tolerance, because in a globalizing world, it is no longer enough to live side by side in indifference;

tolerance requires active vigilance, renewed each day, against xenophobia, discrimination and hatred. We must prove the transformative power of tolerance as a force to achieve dialogue and peace, recalling that every culture is worthy of respect and that no belief deserves the hatred or scorn of others.

This is the spirit of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), for which UNESCO is lead agency in the United Nations system. It is also the objective of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, awarded this year to two human rights activists –Mr Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat (Mali) and Mr Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia (Chile), whose lives clearly exemplify the enduring power of these values and ideals.

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize 2014 was awarded to Mr. Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat (Mali) in recognition of his dedication and outstanding commitment to dialogue and non-violence as a means of resolving conflicts in society and to the cause of the struggle against social inequalities.

His commitment to the defence of human rights and peace began with the realization that without the education of rural communities, the progress of his country, although rich in spiritual values and cultural diversity, including the existence in Timbuktu of one of the first universities in the world, was not possible. This realization led him to end his academic career ambitions and to return to teach children in huts and under trees. After interrupting his studies in 1980 in order to become a teacher for deprived Tuareg children in his native town of Ménaka, in 1986 Mr Ag Idbaltanat constructed with his own hands a primary school for children from the poorest families in the region of Intadeyné and spared no efforts to convince local communities that school education is the best way for children to break the cycle of poverty, exclusion and deprivation. In 1987, he founded the grassroots organization GARI (Groupement des artisans ruraux de Intadeyné –Group of Rural Artisans of Intadeyné), which establishes schools throughout the region as a way to open the horizons of arginalized Tuareg children. He has campaigned against stigma and discrimination linked to the slave caste identity and has helped communities to reconsider and redefine what it means to be Tuareg.

In 2006, he created TEMEDT, which develops multiple activities under his leadership to raise awareness of the inequalities among communities affected by slavery. These actions have reached large numbers and have directly helped to liberate and support dozens of people through the provision of legal advice to victims of slavery practices, training on anti-

slavery legislation for magistrates and lobbying for legal reform to criminalize slavery practices. Through his work as a civil society activist, Mr. Ag Idbaltanat helps to provide access to basic social services and education for disadvantaged groups including women, children and persons of slave descent. He is also deeply committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in northern Mali between sedentary and nomadic populations and to end stigma against the Tuareg population. While accepting the Prize, Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat stressed that the strength of his activism is based on the common action and commitment of many individuals and communities in northern Mali. Mr Ag Idbaltanat expressed his wish to associate the Prize with his colleagues, including from the two grass-roots organizations Temedt and GARI, his family and all the partners who have supported his work, dedicated to the cause of fighting for the respect for the human dignity and rights of every man and woman irrespective of ethnicity, tribe, sex, religion or age.

In a video message screened during the Ceremony, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile, congratulated Mr. Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia and Mr. Ibrahim Ag Idbaltanat on their designation as the laureates of the Prize. She particularly stressed the active role played by her compatriot Francisco Javier Estevez in encouraging citizen participation in governance, and for his extensive work over the years in the promotion of the values shared by the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh prize in Chile and in Latin America.

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize 2014 was awarded to Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia (Chile) in recognition of his longstanding commitment and tireless efforts to promote respect for human rights, based on the principles of tolerance and non-violence, to build a more harmonious and inclusive society, ensuring peace and prosperity, and a world with equal opportunities for all.

Francisco Javier Estévez Valencia, an eminent civil society activist, historian and Professor at the University of Chile, started his non-violent struggle for human rights and democracy during the years of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and became one of the well-Known leaders of the democratic resistance of young Chileans.

After the return of demo cracy in Chile, he made substantial contributions to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as Vice-President of a major citizen campaign “Para Creer en Chile’”. For years he investigated and denounced human rights violations and 9worked for the preparation of the constitutional accusation of General Pinochet, which was rejected by the Parliament but taken into consideration during the legal proceedings in London.

In 1994, he founded the non-profit civil society organization Fundacíon Ideas (the Chilean Ideas Foundation). As its Executive Director since that time, he has contributed tirelessly to building a culture of human rights, democracy and peace at the national, regional and international levels through education and awareness-raising activities, as well as public

campaigns which empower those who are not heard in their struggle for dignity and justice. As coordinator of the Cinta Amarilla citizen campaign he contributed to the abolition of the death penalty in Chile in 2001; and to the removal from public space of monuments symbolizing the military regime.

In his speech, Francisco Javier Estévez stressed the importance of solidarity and brotherhood in the struggle for freedom and equality in the world. “Brotherhood is a science, an art, and culture," he declared, explaining that “all those who suffer today from intolerance, discrimination and violence in all their forms must know that they are not alone, as also are those who are struggling in very difficult conditions because there is a very large community of people, citizen movements and institutions such as UNESCO, who will never abandon them, because they all share the same struggle and the same values”.

This year’s ceremony was the first held in the absence of its benefactor, Mr. Madanjeet Singh, who sadly passed away in January 2013. Madanjeet Singh, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, was a great humanist, writer and diplomat who devoted his life to deepening mutual understanding and peace across the world and particularly in South Asia. The creation of the Prize in 1995 marked the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, who was a great source of inspiration to Mr Singh, who himself was a champion of peace and became a source of inspiration to many people of different cultures and religions. In celebration of his life, a video tribute was paid to the life of Mr Singh during the ceremony, featuring testimonials from eminent personalities, screened in the presence of Ms France Marquet, Director of the Madanjeet Singh Foundation, donor of the Prize.

To celebrate the International Day of Tolerance, a series of performances were given during the ceremony by 96 singers of the International Philharmonic Choir, UNESCO Artists for Peace, under the direction of their Conductor Mr Mustapha Kaïd.

The program, designed especially for the celebration of the International Day, included the opening musical interlude "dialogue of cultures" by Noubet Zidane, with Arab-Andalous song accompanied by Eric haqueneau on piano and traditional instruments: Noureddine Aliane (ud), Youcef Allali (darbuka), Yousry Ghiat (tar). The International Philharmonic Choir performed the musical interlude "Hope for peace and freedom", comprised of excerpts from Excerpts from Ode to Joy, finale of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and op. 125, Va, pensiero, Act III from Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco, with piano accompaniment. The concert

was closed by the performance of "Chorally yours" –a selection of the Choir’s repertoire featuring airs from famous operas including excerpts from Giuseppi Verdi’s Il Trovatore (Chi del gitano, Act II); La Traviata (Si Ridesta in Ciel, Act I; Coro di Zingarelle, Act II; Coro di Mattadori, Act II; Bacchanal, Act III), with piano accompaniment.

Je vous rappelle que les 96 artistes du Chœur philharmonique international sont issus de plus de vingt pays et font un travail tout à fait remarquable pour promouvoir le dialogue, la tolérance, la non-violence et l’harmonie par la musique.

And now, I have the honor to invite the Deputy Director General of UNESCO, representing Director-General Irina Bokova, who will deliver a speech on her behalf.

Address by Mr Getachew Engida, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO

 On the occasion of at the Award Ceremony of the 2014 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Ms France Marquet, Principal Trustee of the Madanjeet Singh Foundation, Distinguished Laureates,I am honoured to welcome you to the award ceremony for the 2014 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. I am especially grateful to Ms France Marquet for her presence today.

For UNESCO, tolerance is an action that requires commitment, persistence and creativity, by individual women and men, by communities and societies, by Governments.

This was the conviction also of Madanjeet Singh. As you know, this is the first time we celebrate the award in his absence...I wish to pay tribute to him, as a great humanist, as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, as a man who devoted his life to deepening mutual understanding and peace, across the world.

This ceremony, I believe, shines light on the essence of UNESCO’s mandate, to build the defences of peace in the minds of women and men, “upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.”

 In 1995, UNESCO Member States adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, defining tolerance as respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of the world’s cultures and forms of expression.

 Today, as UNESCO begins celebrations marking its 70^th anniversary, the call for tolerance, in our thinking, in our behaviours, has never been more urgent.

 We live in a world where cultural diversity is targeted by extremist groups, where cultural cleansing persecutes minorities, where economic and social crises are sometimes used as pretexts to search for scapegoats, to reject Others...

In this context, each of us must renew our commitment to active tolerance, to respect the rights and dignity of all others as the same as our own. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired the creation of this award:

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