To Ministers responsible for relations with UNESCO 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP, France Tél. : +33 (0)1 45 68 10 00 Fax : +33 (0)1 45 68 55 55 www.unesco.org Ref: CL/4471REV Subject: Call for nominations for the 2024 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence Sir/Madam, I have the honour to invite your Government to submit nominations for the 2024 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. This Prize was established in 1995 to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. It is awarded biennially on 16 November, the International Day for Tolerance – a symbolic date that coincides with the anniversary of the founding of UNESCO. The laureate is chosen following the recommendation of an international jury selected by UNESCO. The Prize, which supports the Organization’s mandate to promote peace, consists of a USD 100,000 award contributed by the Madanjeet Singh Foundation. I would be grateful if you would return the attached nomination form to the indicated address by 22 August 2024 at the latest, so that jury can examine the nominations. For any additional information, please contact the Secretariat of the Prize (tel.: +33 1 45 68 17 70; email: [email protected]), within UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector. Information about the Prize as well as the nomination form can be found at the following link: www.unesco.org/shs/toleranceprize. Accept, Sir/Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration. Audrey Azoulay Director-General cc: Permanent Delegations to UNESCO National Commissions for UNESCO UNESCO field offices 24 July 2024CL/4471 Rev. Annex I ANNEX I UNESCO-MADANJEET SINGH PRIZE FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOLERANCE AND NON-VIOLENCE 2024 NOMINATION FORM Note for the nominators: 1. No self-nomination can be considered. For example, an institution cannot nominate any person from its staff, and vice-versa. 2. Each government of a Member State or any other qualified nominator may present a maximum of two nominations if it considers them eligible for the Prize. 3. Nomination form must be completed in full in English or French, which are UNESCO’s working languages. 4. Nominators must sign or initial every page of the nomination form, date and, if nominators are institutions, place a stamp on its last page. The nominators are kindly invited to send the nomination form to UNESCO accompanied by a cover letter, duly signed. 5. Nominators are invited to submit two additional letters of support, at least, duly signed, from an institution/personality, not related to the nominee, emphasizing the relevance of the nomination vis-à-vis the requirements of the Prize, to accompany the nomination. 6. Nominations should be submitted by 22 August 2024. To optimize the handling of nominations, advanced copies of the nomination documents can be sent by electronic mail to the address indicated in item 7 below. Nominations received after this date will not be considered. 7. Nominations should be sent directly to: Ms. Anna Maria Majlöf, Secretary of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non- Violence in the same Sector (UNESCO, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France; tel.: +33 1 45 68 17 70 email: [email protected]). 1. INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOMINATOR 1.1 Nomination submitted by Member State: Country : Nominator (Please indicate the name and title of the officials and organizations, qualified to submit nominations for the Prize on behalf of their Government.):CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 2 In consultation with the National Commission for UNESCO of: (In conformity with Article 6.3 of the Statutes, nominations shall be submitted by the governments of Member States in consultation with their National Commissions for UNESCO. Please indicate the National Commission(s) of which UNESCO Member States have been consulted on the nomination. If the nominator(s) and the nominee are nationals of different Member States, it is recommended that the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and the National Commission for UNESCO of the nominee’s Member State be informed of the nomination. The nominators are kindly invited to forward the original nomination form directly to the Secretary of the Prize via the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO of their country, whenever possible). OR 1.2 Nomination submitted by non-governmental organization (NGO): NGO maintaining official relations with UNESCO□ Name and acronym: Country: Responsible person: (Please indicate the name and title of the official qualified to submit nomination on behalf of the NGO.) Foundation maintaining official relations with UNESCO□ Autres organisations de la société civile □ OR 1.3 Nomination submitted by qualified personalities: Ms □ Mr □ Surname : First Name : Nationality 1.4 Contact details (both for institutional and individual nominators) Full address: No. □ Street □ Bld. □ Av. Post Code: City:CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 3 Country: Person(s) in charge (full name and function): Telephone (please indicate country and city codes): Fax: Email: Internet: 2. INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOMINEE/CANDIDATE 2.1 For institutional candidates Name and acronym: Date and place of creation (please provide a copy of the General Rules/Statutes): City and country of the headquarters: Field of activity: Financial sources: OR 2.2 For individual candidates Ms □ or Mr □ Surname: Date and place of birth: Nationality: Education and profession: First name:CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 4 2.3 For institutional and individual candidates: contact details Full address: no. □ Street □ Bld. □ Av. Post Code: City: Country: Telephone (please indicate country and city codes): Fax: Email: Website: PRESENTATION OF THE NOMINEE/CANDIDATE 3.1 A description of the nominee’s/candidate’s background and achievements extending over several years (1/2-1 page).CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 5 3.2 A summary of the nominee’s/candidate’s activities or results of activities, publications and other relevant documents of major importance, including audio and video materials, pedagogical tools, etc. (1/2-1 page).CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 6 3.3 Activity/project undertaken to contribute to the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non- violence for which the candidate is nominated for the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, 2024 (1/2-1 page), and the impact it has produced, in accordance with Article 3 (a) of the Statutes of the Prize. 3.4 Conclusion: 3.5 Referees: Please provide the names of three persons, not related to the candidates, who are familiar with his/her/their/its work (Note: As indicated on the note to nominators on page 1, in addition to the letter of nomination, two letters of support should be provided by any of the two persons below): (i) Name: Profession: Address: Tel: Fax: E-mail:CL/4471 Rev. Annex I – page 7 (ii) Name: Profession: Address: Tel: Fax: E-mail: (iii) Name: Profession: Address: Tel: Fax: E-mail: 3.6 Signature of the nominator (For institutions, please provide a stamp)CL/4471 Rev. Annex II ANNEX II STATUTES OF THE UNESCO-MADANJEET SINGH PRIZE FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOLERANCE AND NON-VIOLENCE Article 1 – Purpose The purpose of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non- Violence is to honour significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication field aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize, which was established in 1995 on the occasion of United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence, and to the families of intellectuals who have fallen victim to intolerance. The contribution should be in line with the Charter of the United Nations and UNESCO’s Constitution and should fully correspond to the principles and standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international instruments. The objective of the Prize conforms to the UNESCO Strategy on Human Rights, the UNESCO Integrated Strategy to Combat Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance, and the UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Article 2 – Designation, amount and periodicity of the Prize 2.1 The Prize shall be entitled “The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence”. 2.2 The Prize and all expenses related thereto shall be funded by the Donor – the Madanjeet Singh Foundation (MSF), established in conformity with the last will of Mr Madanjeet Singh, and shall consist of a sum of a recurrent payment of US $150,000. The value of the Prize shall be determined by the Director-General in consultation with the Donor on the basis of the contribution received from the Donor, the interest on the sum deposited in the Special Account, in accordance with the Financial Regulations of UNESCO, and the charges to be borne by the account for the cost of administering the Prize. 2.3 The financial contribution for the Prize shall be made by the Donor every two years and shall be transferred by the Donor during the third trimester of the year preceding the year of the award of the Prize. All funds received and the interest accrued thereon shall be kept in the Special Interest- Bearing Account for the Prize in conformity with its Financial Regulations (see Appendix). The Prize will be awarded in an even year of UNESCO’s Programme and Budget. 2.4 The full staff support and operating/management costs of the Prize, including all costs related to the meeting of the International Jury, award ceremony and public information activities, estimated at US $50,000, shall be fully covered by the contribution from the Donor, received to the Special Account for the Prize. To this end, the Director-General will determine a mandatory overhead cost amount to be applied and charged against the funds in the Special Account, which is to be established under the Financial Regulations for the Prize. 2.5 The Prize shall be awarded to one winner every two years, or once every UNESCO biennium, in an even year of UNESCO’s programme cycle. Article 3 – Conditions/Qualifications of candidates 3.1 Candidates shall have made exceptional contributions and demonstrated leadership in the field of the promotion of tolerance. The prizewinner shall be required to have taken one or more particularly remarkable initiatives to promote the development of tolerance and non-violence, namely:CL/4471 Rev. Annex II– page 2 (a) by directly carrying out an educational activity; by implementing international, national, regional or local programmes aimed at the promotion of tolerance and non-violence; by mobilizing initiatives and/or means likely to contribute to the implementation of such programmes; by producing teaching materials or other special aids designed for the development of programmes to teach tolerance and non-violence; by undertaking, coordinating or encouraging research in those fields or fields related to specific aspects of tolerance; by conducting special surveys or launching original undertakings that have made for significant development in the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. (b) In addition, the following criteria will be taken into consideration: the activity must have lasted long enough for its results to be evaluated and its effectiveness verified; it must represent an outstanding contribution to the fundamental objectives of UNESCO and the United Nations in the fields of tolerance and non-violence; the work accomplished must be exemplary and likely to instigate similar initiatives; it must have shown itself to be effective in mobilizing new intellectual and material resources; it must represent a contribution to the understanding and solution of international or national problems in a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. 3.2 The Prize may be conferred upon an individual, a group of individuals, institutions and other entities or non-governmental organizations. Article 4 – Designation/Selection of the prizewinner The prizewinner shall be selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of the assessments and recommendations made by an international jury. Article 5 – Jury 5.1 The Jury shall consist of three independent members, of different nationalities and gender, appointed by the Director-General for a period of two years, eligible for re-election for a maximum term of three consecutive two-year periods. Members of the Jury should have an internationally recognized reputation in the field of peace, human rights, tolerance and non-violence. Representatives and alternatives of Members of the Executive Board may not serve as jurors. Jurors involved in a real or potential conflict of interest shall recuse themselves from further deliberations or be asked by the Director-General to do so. The Director-General may replace members of the Jury for this reason. 5.2 The Jury shall elect its own Chairperson. Members shall receive no remuneration for their work, but will receive allowances for travel and accommodation, where required. A quorum of two jurors present will be required for Jury deliberations to proceed. The working languages for deliberations by the Jury shall be English and French. The Jury may conduct its business and deliberations through electronic means, including telephone or video conference or E-mail.CL/4471 Rev. Annex II – page 3 5.3 The Jury shall conduct its business and deliberations in conformity with these Statutes and shall be assisted in the performance of its task by the Secretary of the Prize (a member of the UNESCO Secretariat), designated by the Director-General. Decisions shall be taken by consensus to the extent possible, and otherwise by secret ballot until a simple majority is obtained. A member shall not take part in a vote concerning a nomination from his or her country. 5.4 The Jury shall hold its deliberations once every two years two months after the closing date for the submission of nominations, to make its recommendations to the Director-General for the selection of that year’s prizewinner. 5.5 The Jury shall send an assessment on nominations and accompanying recommendations to the Director-General of UNESCO following its meeting at UNESCO Headquarters and no later than 30 September of the year of the award of the Prize. Article 6 – Nomination of candidates 6.1 When UNESCO has received the funding of the prize, as indicated in Article 2 above, the Director-General of UNESCO shall officially invite the submission of nominations to the Secretariat of the Prize, by 1 March of the year of the award of the Prize, from the governments of Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, from non-governmental organizations and foundations maintaining official relations with the Organization and active in a field covered by the Prize, as well as from former laureates of the Prize, eminent persons qualified in the opinion of the Director-General and from any person or civil society organization working for the advancement of a culture of peace, human rights, non-violence and tolerance in the world and considered suitable. 6.2 The Director-General shall also take all necessary steps to encourage an increased number of nominations, in particular by calling upon all persons and civil society organizations working for the advancement of a culture of peace, human rights, non-violence and tolerance in the world, in line with the Charter of the United Nations, UNESCO’s Constitution and the principles and standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international instruments. 6.3 Nominations shall be submitted to the Director-General by the governments of Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, by non-governmental organizations and foundations maintaining official relations with the Organization and active in a field covered by the Prize, as well as former laureates of the Prize, eminent persons qualified in the opinion of the Director-General and by any person or civil society organization working for the advancement of a culture of peace, human rights, non-violence and tolerance in the world and considered suitable. A self-nomination cannot be considered. 6.4 The Director-General of UNESCO shall encourage Member States, in addition to any other qualified “nominator”, to submit nominations duly justified on the basis of the goals and objectives clearly defined in the present Statutes governing the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. In particular, each nomination shall be accompanied by a written recommendation, signed by the nominee, if an individual, or by a responsible authority, if an institution, of not more than five standard pages in length, which shall include, in English or French, inter alia (all other materials may be attached as an annex; they will not be returned to nominators): (a) a description of the candidate’s background and achievements; (b) a summary of the work or the results of the work, publications and other supporting documents of major importance, submitted for consideration; (c) a definition of the candidate’s contribution to the Prize’s objectives.CL/4471 Rev. Annex II – page 4 6.5 The Secretariat of the Prize shall be authorized to bring to the Jury’s attention any nominations failing to meet all the criteria set forth in the present Statutes of the Prize. Article 7 – Procedure for the awarding of the Prize 7.1 The Prize shall be awarded by the Director-General at an official ceremony held for that purpose at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on the occasion of International Day for Tolerance, 16 November. UNESCO shall endeavour that communication to promote the award ceremony will be visible in various media. UNESCO shall present to the prizewinner a check for the amount of the prize. UNESCO shall officially announce the name/s of the prizewinner. 7.2 If a work being rewarded has been produced by two or three persons, the Prize shall be awarded to them jointly. In no case may a prize amount be divided between more than three persons. 7.3 The prizewinner, if possible, shall give a lecture on a subject relevant to the work for which the Prize has been awarded. Such a lecture shall be organized during or in connection with the Prize ceremony. 7.4 The work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for a prize. If, however, a prizewinner dies before he has received the Prize, then the Prize may be presented posthumously (awarded to relatives or institution). 7.5 Should a prizewinner decline the Prize, the Jury shall submit a new proposal to the Director- General. Article 8 – Sunset clause – mandatory renewal of the Prize 8.1 Six months prior to the agreed end of the term of the Prize, the Director-General of UNESCO together with the donor will undertake a review of all aspects of the Prize and decide about its continuation or termination. The Director-General will inform the Executive Board of UNESCO about the results of this review through a document summarizing all pertinent developments in this regard so that the Executive Board could adopt a final decision on whether to pursue or discontinue a prize accordingly. 8.2 In case of termination of a Prize, any unspent balance shall be returned to the donor(s) unless otherwise agreed, in accordance with the financial regulations for the Prize. Article 9 – Appeals No appeals shall be allowed against the decision of UNESCO with regard to the award of the Prize. Proposals received for the award of a Prize may not be divulged. Article 10 – Amendments to the Statutes of the Prize Any amendment to the present Statutes shall be submitted to the Executive Board for approval.CL/4471 Rev. Annex II – page 5 APPENDIX FINANCIAL REGULATIONS OF THE SPECIAL ACCOUNT FOR THE UNESCO-MADANJEET SINGH PRIZE FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOLERANCE AND NON-VIOLENCE Article 1 – Creation of a Special Account 1.1 In accordance with the Statutes of the “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence” and Article 6, paragraphs 5 and 6, of the Financial Regulations of UNESCO, there is hereby created a Special Account for the “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence”, hereafter referred to as the Special Account. 1.2 The following regulations shall govern the operation of the Special Account. Article 2 – Financial period 2.1 The financial period for budget estimates shall be two consecutive calendar years beginning with an even-numbered year. 2.2 The financial period for accounting shall be an annual calendar year. Article 3 – Purpose The purpose of the “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non- Violence” is to honour significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication field aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The amounts deposited in the Special Account shall be used to finance the “UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence”and its operational and related costs. Article 4 – Income The income of the Special Account, in line with its Statutes, shall consist of: (a) A recurrent payment of $150,000 by the Madanjeet Singh Foundation (MSF), every two years; (b) voluntary contributions from States, international agencies and organizations, as well as other entities; (c) such subventions, endowments, gifts and bequests as are allocated to it for purposes consistent with the object of the Special Account; (d) miscellaneous income, including any interest earned on the investment referred to it in Article 7 below. Article 5 – Expenditure The Special Account shall be debited with the expenditure relating to its purpose as described in Article 3 above and the Statutes of the Prize, including administrative expenses specifically relating to it and management cost rate applicable to it. Article 6 – Accounts 6.1 The Chief Financial Officer shall maintain such accounting records as are necessary.CL/4471 Rev. Annex II– page 6 6.2 Any unused balance at the end of a financial period shall be carried forward to the following financial period. 6.3 The accounts of the Special Account shall be part of the consolidated financial statements presented for audit to the External Auditor of UNESCO. 6.4 Contributions in kind shall be recorded outside the Special Account. Article 7 – Investments 7.1 The Director-General may make short-term or long-term investments of sums standing to the credit of the Special Account. 7.2 Revenue from these investments shall be credited to the Special Account in line with UNESCO’s Financial Rules. Article 8 – Reporting 8.1 At the end of each financial period, a financial report showing the income and expenditure under the Special Account shall be prepared and submitted to the donor(s) to the Special Account. 8.2 An annual narrative report shall be submitted to the donor(s) to the Special Account. Article 9 – Closure of the Special Account The Director-General shall consult the Executive Board at such time as he/she deems that the operation of the Special Account is no longer necessary. Any balance upon closure of the Special Account shall be returned to the donor(s) of the Prize unless otherwise agreed. Article 10 – General provision 10.1 Any amendment to these Financial Regulations shall be approved by the Director-General after consultations with the donor(s) of the Prize. The Executive Board shall be informed accordingly of any such amendments. 10.2 Unless otherwise provided in these Regulations, the Special Account shall be administered in accordance with the Financial Regulations of UNESCO.