Awards honor promoters of culture

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, former director-general of UNESCO, a United Nations agency that promotes international collaboration, received the Lifetime Honorary Award at the second Orchid Awards held in Beijing on Thursday.

Launched by the China International Communications Group in 2022, the Orchid Awards recognize non-Chinese individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to cultural exchanges, mutual learning and the promotion of Chinese culture.

Bokova, the first woman to lead UNESCO, has visited China more than 10 times and advanced numerous collaborations between China and UNESCO in education.

"I believe that this honor that is bestowed on me testifies to the very strong attachment of China to UNESCO, to multilateralism and to everything that UNESCO does — to promote culture, to protect heritage, both tangible and intangible, and to foster intercultural dialogue," Bokova said in her acceptance speech.

She said dialogue among societies should be part of everyday life, both at the grassroots level and on the global stage, to work toward a shared future for humanity.

This year's Outstanding Achievement Award recipients are Rashid Alimov of Tajikistan, former secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; French writer and journalist Maxime Vivas; and the Philadelphia Orchestra from the United States.

The Friendship Envoy Award was presented to six individuals, including Thomas Rabe of Germany, chairman of the John Rabe Communication Center; Ali Mohammad Sabeghi of Iran, chairman of the Culture and Social Committee of the Iran-China Friendship Association; and Issah Abiola, Nigeria's first female train driver.

According to the awards' secretariat, this year's event received nearly 300 nominations from 114 organizations in about 80 countries, with candidates coming from diverse cultural fields.

The awards aim to advance the Global Civilization Initiative, promote the common values of humanity, build the cultural foundation for a global community of shared future, and facilitate exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

From July 9 to 14, the awards' international jury members are taking part in field visits in Beijing and Harbin, Heilongjiang province, to learn about China's cultural heritage and recent developments.