September 8
Gala Dinner
Palais Wertheim, Vienna
The Long Nights of Interculturality concluded with an exclusive Gala Dinner, where ICDO gathered all those who have contributed to the festival. Between courses of delicious food, the attendees were greeted with a traditional Sri Lankan dance by the Nartakah Dancing Academy and folk songs by the Russian Folklore Ensemble, Kalinka.
The evening culminated with the first ICDO Annual Excellence Award given to Dr. Manfred Nowak, an internationally recognized Human Activist, Secretary-General of the European Inter-University Center for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC), one of the former judges in the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Director of Arts and Human Rights at the University of Vienna, co-director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, former functionary for the Council of Europe, the EU, and other inter-governmental organizations.
“The International Cultural Diversity Organization (ICDO) provides us with the tools of advocating and practicing diversity management in our societies, as transnational companies have been practicing for many years within their business communities. The ICDO reminds us that the “New World should be based on diversity, respect and equal rights for all”. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, when proclaiming that we are all “born free and equal in dignity and rights”, only makes sense because we are different,” stated Dr. Manfred Nowak in his speech.
Josipa Palac, President of ICDO thanked everyone for a very successful festival, which gathered thousands of participants and guests from different sectors:
“ICDO and its diverse team have worked hard these last few months to deliver to you a unique experience through the Long Night of Intercultural Dialogue. Our team is a great example of people with different backgrounds, religions and languages, which, through communication and sharing of experiences, can create something truly beautiful.”
