On 29 March, the Fundación Tres Culturas held the award ceremony of the 1st Mediterranean AwardsThe event was organised by the Junta de Andalucía, through Tres Culturas del Mediterráneo and under the auspices of the Intermediterranean Commission (CIM) of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR).
These awards were created to recognise the work of individuals, institutions, companies and other organisations that have contributed to boosting the Mediterranean identity, promoting sustainable and integrated development on all its shores, fostering peace, intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the Mediterranean basin, focusing on the elements that are common to us in order to overcome what separates us.
The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, who opened the ceremony, stressed that these awards are based on the idea that "the sea does not separate us, but unites us, it invites us to come closer and to dialogue, and that it inspires us to be better, sharing science, culture and innovation, feelings, objectives and future". "We recognise those who, through their work, promote the Mediterranean identity by fostering peace, dialogue and coexistence between our peoples. My congratulations and admiration go to them and to all those who join in this project for a sea of harmony," he added, referring to the award winners.
Specifically, at this awards ceremony, which was also presided over by the two co-presidents of the Three Cultures Foundation, the Advisor to His Majesty the King of Morocco, André Azoulay, and the Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Antonio Sanz, the following distinctions were presented:
- The Mediterráneo Digital Award has been awarded to the American University of Beirut (Lebanon) for its significant contribution to increasing competitiveness and improving services through digitalisation.
- The Green Mediterranean Prize has been awarded to the An-Najah National University of Nablus (Palestine), for promoting the reduction of the ecological footprint or environmental impact in the Mediterranean and making it a more sustainable area.
- The Mediterranean Women's Prize went to the Moroccan philanthropist Leila Mezian Benjelloun, for representing a model of a woman committed to the preservation and promotion of history, heritage, language, culture and education in the Mediterranean.
- The Mediterranean Solidarity Award went to Associazione NO CAP (Italy), the first association in Italy to highlight the phenomenon of illegal recruitment of foreign labour and the exploitation of these workers.
- The Mediterranean Youth Council, based in France, has won the Mediterranean Identity Award for engaging young people from across the region and contributing to the debate on the most relevant issues and concerns of the day.
- Finally, the Mediterranean of the Year Award went to Ángel León González, the Chef of the Sea (Spain), whose gastronomy represents an example of good practice in the fight against climate change and the sustainable use of marine resources, as well as socio-economic revitalisation, based on innovation and cutting-edge technology.
The ceremony was attended by numerous authorities, including the Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco, Abdelilah Afifi; the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport of the Andalusian Regional Government, Arturo Bernal; the Secretary General for External Action of the Andalusian Regional Government, Enric Millo; the Government Delegate of the Andalusian Regional Government, Ricardo Sánchez Antúnez; and the Consul General of Morocco in Seville, Sisi Sidi Abbah, as well as several members of the Board of Trustees of the Three Cultures Foundation.
This activity is subsidised by the Junta de Andalucía, within the framework of the subsidy granted by the Consejería de la Presidencia, Administración Pública e Interior..
