UNESCO seeks nominations for the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence 2020

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News UNESCO Headquaters, Paris, France - 3rd October 2020

UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence

UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence

"Tolerance is an act of humanity, which we must nurture and enact each in our own lives every day, to rejoice in the diversity that makes us strong and the values that bring us together." - Audrey Azoulay, 16 November 2017

"Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being" - Mahatma Gandhi

 

ABOUT THE PRIZE

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural and communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

The Prize was established in 1995 on the occasion of the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. The same year UNESCO Member States adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. The creation of the Prize has been inspired by the ideals of UNESCO’s Constitution that proclaims that “peace if it is not to fail, must be founded on the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”.

Tolerance recognizes the universal human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. People are naturally diverse, only tolerance can ensure the survival of mixed communities in every region of the globe. In recognition of a lifelong devotion to communal harmony and peace, the Prize bears the name of its benefactor Madanjeet Singh, who was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Indian artist, writer, and diplomat.

Awarded every two years, on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance (16 November), the Prize is marked by a ceremony and the winner is presented with the sum of US$ 100,000.


WHO WAS MADANJEET SINGH?

Madanjeet Singh was born on 16 April 1924 in Lahore, present-day Pakistan. He is an internationally known author of several books on art and other subjects, closely interwoven with UNESCO’s programmes, principles and ideals. He served as Ambassador of India in Asia, South America, Africa and Europe.

In 1995, in recognition of his lifelong devotion to the cause of communal harmony and peace, the UNESCO Executive Board unanimously created the biennial “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence”. The decision was adopted at meetings in Paris and Fez (May 16 to June 4), to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

In the year 2000, Madanjeet Singh created the South Asia Foundation (SAF) to promote sustainable cultural, educational and economic development throughout the region.

Koïchira Matsuura,former UNESCO Director General stated: “Mr. Singh’s personal commitment to fostering culture, dialogue mutual understanding and peace has served as a great source of inspiration to people of many different nations, cultures and religions”.

In recognition of his generosity and untiring efforts to promote these noble objectives, which are also those of UNESCO, Madanieet Singh was designated as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador on November 16, 2000.

The great diplomat, artist, writer and public figure Madanjeet Singh passed away on January 6, 2013. UNESCO and its Honorary and Goodwill Ambassadors are committed to continuing the pursuit of the noble causes Madanjeet Singh defended over his life.

 

MEMBERS OF THE JURY

Nandita Das (India) has acted in more than 40 feature films in 10 different languages. She made her directorial debut with Firaaq in 2008. In 2012, she acted in, and wrote and directed the play Between the Lines. In 2005 and 2013, Nandida served as Jury member of the Cannes Film Festival. She was moreover the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society between 2009 and 2012. Nandita has a Master’s degree in Social Work and is a strong advocate for issues of social justice and human rights. She has been conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Government. Nandita's second directorial venture, Manto, based on the life and works of Saadat Hasan Manto, one of the greatest short story writers of South Asia, recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the only Indian film to be selected in 2018 in the official section of the festival.

 

Nadia Bernoussi (Morocco). Professor of Constitutional Law and Political Institutions at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) of Rabat, the Institut Supérieur de l’Administration (ISA) and the Académie marocaine des études diplomatiques, Professor Nadia Bernoussi obtained her Doctorate Degree in Public Law (Constitutional Justice) in 1998. She is a visiting professor in the Law Faculties of the Universities of Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence and Tunis. As Vice President of the International Academy of Constitutional Law and Member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Constitutional Law, she is also a founding member of the Association of Moroccan Constitutional Law and the Moroccan Association of Political Science. She is Member of the Editorial Committee of the Revue française de droit constitutionnel. Nadia was Member of the Consultative Committee of lawyers on the reform of the Moroccan Constitution in 2011. She was nominated by H.M. the King of Morocco among the 20 experts and specialists at the High Council on Education, Training and Scientific Research (CSEFRS), a constitutional organ responsible for the reflection and strategic planning of the educational reform in Morocco.

 

Abdoulaye Konaté (Mali) studied arts at the National Institute of Arts in Bamako, then at the Higher Institute of Arts in Havana, in Cuba. He was the Director General of the “Palais de la Culture”, Advisor to the Minister of Culture, Founding Director of the “Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers Multimedia” (CAMM) in Mali. Abdoulaye was moreover a member of various boards of directors and several juries, such as the biennial festival of photography of Bamako. He directed and participated in several exhibitions around the world. Konaté's works are now present in many public collections, many foundations and private collections such as the Bank of West African States in Dakar (Senegal), but also Dak'Art, the Biennale of Art Contemporary African in Senegal and the Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden in Marrakech (Morocco). Abdoulaye has been awarded numerous international recognition awards, including the Dakar Biennial Prize, the Knight of the National Order of Mali or the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (by French Government).



Source:- UNESCO