Paris, 26th April 2013 (WAM) -- Algerian academic and essayist Mustafa Cherif and the Arab British Centre (UK) were crowned winners of the 2013 UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture in its 11th cycle. They were designated by an international jury of experts for their commitment to disseminate Arab culture globally.

ABC and Mustapha Cherif, each in their own way, created spaces for dialogue, exchange and mutual understanding in the fight against ignorance and prejudice.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova, has decided, following the recommendation of the International Jury chaired by Prof. Stephen Humphreys (USA), to award the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to the Arab British Centre (ABC) from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to the Algerian intellectual Mustapha Cherif.

The International Jury chose these laureates out of 35 candidatures, consisting of 14 non-Arab and 21 Arab, from 17 different countries ? many of which participated in the Prize for the first time. The British and Algerian prize winners were selected due to the quality of the work presented, international recognition as well as originality of their approaches.

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, presented the award to the two laureates on Thursday 25 April 2013 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in the attendance of Abdullah Ali Al Nuaimi, UAE Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Culture and Information Department, and a number of government officials and representatives to UNESCO.

Mustafa Cherif (Algeria) contributed for more than three decades to the promotion of Arab Muslim culture and inter-cultural dialogue. A former diplomat and politician, he also dedicated part of his career to teaching. As a researcher, he set up courses about the Arab Muslim civilization and cultures at the University of Algiers, the ?cole sup?rieure de Sciences politiques et Relations internationales (Algiers), as well as the Open University of Catalonia (e-learning). He is one of the founders of the Groupe d'amiti? islamo-chr?tien and the World Islamic-Catholic Forum. He has authored numerous works about Islam and inter-faith dialogue.

The Arab British Centre (UK) is an independent charitable organization which works to improve understanding of the Arab world. The Centre organizes cultural events such as the screening of Safar: A Journey through Popular Arab Cinema in 2012 and Arabic language and calligraphy classes. Despite limited budgetary resources, it is able to undertake other activities with various bodies and works with an extensive network and various partners to promote the culture and arts of the Arab world in the United Kingdom. The Centre endeavours to dispel negative stereotyping concerning Arab culture and society through roundtable debates and cultural programmes.

The UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture was established on the initiative of the H. H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council member and Ruler of Sharjah, to reward the efforts of a national of an Arab Country and a national of any other country who has contributed, through artistic, intellectual or promotional work, to the development and dissemination of Arab culture in the world. The US$ 60,000 Prize is divided equally between the two laureates of the Prize.

The official prize ceremony was preceded by a series of talks entitled: "5 paths, 5 visions, 1 question: What is the Role of Arab Culture in Tomorrow?s World?".

Five international personalities renowned for their involvement in Arab culture, will answered this question.

Following ten years of cooperation, this edition of the Prize marks a turning point for the joint efforts of UNESCO and the Emirate of Sharjah?s to strengthen the standing of this prize on the world cultural scene at the crossroads between Eastern and Western cultures.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.