Deadline: 15/09/2010

The Melbourne Forum (11-12 Oct, 2010), organised by the Global Dialogue Foundation (GDF) under the auspices of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, will showcase some of the most innovative and successful grassroots initiatives aimed at promoting mutual understanding among people and cultures in the Asia-Pacific Region.

This event will be held in the presence of business and political leaders, policy makers, influential civil society leaders, media, heads of religious communities and academics.

The Global Dialogue Foundation is looking for long-term partnerships with creative grassroots projects that drive change by:
1) contributing to mutual understanding among diverse communities and cultures;
2) helping to overcome cultural, religious, and ethnic tensions;
3) building peace

Applications
Civil society organisations are invited to submit their Essay Application by 15 September, 2010, by email to: info@globaldialoguefoundation.org

Your essay should be clear, concise and persuasive and written in english. It should be no longer than 300 words and should include the objectives, key elements, starting date and expected outcomes of your project for the next three years. Describe what your project does and what it needs most in order to develop, be replicated and scaled up (i.e., do you need more funding, publicity, connection with policy makers?).

Please include your organisation’s name, location, website, telephone number, email address.

The theme of the Forum is “Bridging Cultures, Building Peace”. Therefore, some suggested themes are as follows:

• Promoting cultural diversity in society;
• Encouraging mutual understanding between people of religions, faiths and traditional faiths;
• Fostering integration of migrants in urban and rural areas;
• Advancing cultural understanding through education;
• Championing youth in furthering dialogue and cooperation among cultures;
• Using technology to facilitate intercultural understanding.

Representatives of the UN Alliance of Civilizations and the Global Dialogue Foundation will review all applications and select best essays for further support, by September 30, 2010.

Representatives of these organisations will be invited to the Forum. There is no registration fee. They will have an opportunity to present their initiatives to a local and international audience. Further benefits include a certificate issued by the Global Dialogue Foundation and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, international networking support and an opportunity for review by professional financial advisers.

The Marketplace of Ideas serves both as:
1) a platform to expose innovative initiatives to media, policy makers and foundations;
2) an advisory source for projects on how to replicate and scale up;

For any questions about the Marketplace of Ideas edition of 2010 in the Asia-Pacific Region, please contact:

Marketplace of Ideas Program Manager by email to info@globaldialoguefoundation.org

Web links:
Global Dialogue Foundation
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

More info

Please note that Mladiinfo does not give scholarships or any financial support, but only informs about different opportunities. Click on the direct link to the official page above to apply for the program.