This award, which is given for the second year in a row, aims to publicly recognize an individual or a group for their efforts in promoting a dialogue among cultures and the culture of dialogue. With this symbolic award we want to praise the goodwill for building bridges between different ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to show that this will exists and is conveyed in different forms.
The ambassadors of Belgium, the Council of Europe, France, Germany, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Romania, Spain and Switzerland attended this ceremony and presented the award to the Director of the Los Rosales Centre Mrs. Mirna Mezit. Parents and children who attend this institution also joined the ceremony, as well as the Minister of Education of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Rašid Hadžović and the Mayor of the City of Mostar Ljubo Bešlić.
“Since its establishment, Los Rosales has provided care to children in need, regardless of their origin. Through its work, the Centre demonstrates that there are greater challenges for mankind than those we force upon ourselves, and that it’s better to face them together. Los Rosales thus builds numerous bridges in the society and contributes to the dialogue between peoples. (...) We are convinced that this institution, established in 1995 in a critical context that we all know well and in this city, especially symbolic for its Old Bridge, can serve as an example to the rest of the citizens of this country. Los Rosales is admirably struggling on two fronts, engaging in both social inclusion and interpersonal and intercultural dialogue“, stated the ambassadors in their joint message which was presented on this occasion by the Swiss Ambassador to BiH Andrea Rauber Saxer.
Last year, a special recognition “Bridge for the Future – Le pont pour l'avenir“ was presented to an informal group of high school students from the "Secondary Vocational School Jajce" and the “High School Nikola Šop” in Jajce for their moral and civil courage and efforts in building bridges between ethnic groups throughout the country, through their fight to eliminate divisions and their endeavors to introduce a unified curriculum in their schools which respects the multiethnic character of Jajce and Central Bosnian Canton.
The the joint declaration of the group of Francophone ambassadors in BiH in French and the BiH languages is signed by Martin Pammer, Ambassador of Austria; William Asselborn, Head of the Diplomatic Office of Belgium; Manoel Gomez-Pereira, Ambassador of Brasil; Avgustina Tzvetkova – Karabascheva, Ambassador of Bulgaria; Hala El Bishlawy, Ambassador of Egypt; Guillaume Rousson, Ambassador of France; Christiane Hohmann, Ambassador of Germany; Georgios Iliopoulos, Ambassador of Greece; Reinout Vos, Ambassador of Holland; Nicola Minassi, Ambassador of Italy; Charles-Henry de Rambures, Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Dana Constantinescu, Ambassador of Rumania; Bosco Gimenez Soriano, Ambassador of Spain; Andrea Rauber Saxer, Ambassador of Switzerland; Maureen Cormack, Ambassador of the United States of America; Ambassador Drahoslav Stefanek of the Council of Europe; and Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark of the EU Delegation.
The “Bridge for the Future – Le pont pour l'avenir“ is presented at the occasion of March 20, the International Day of Francophonie when we celebrate dialogue and the universal values of peace, cooperation, solidarity and sustainable development. Since 2010, BiH has had observer status at this organization.
