Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Centre’s Board of Directors, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2025 Global Pluralism Award Ceremony.

Le Centre mondial pour le pluralisme a été créé pour aider les sociétés du monde entier à relever le défi de bien vivre ensemble, en mettant les différences au service du progrès, de la prospérité et de la paix.

[The Global Centre for Pluralism was conceived as a place to support societies around the world in the hard work of living well together – of harnessing differences as a means of progress, of prosperity, and of peace.]

Championing pluralism in our societies is not only the goal – it is the solution. Pluralism is the roadmap to bridging the schism between people and even institutions.

Le Prix mondial du pluralisme représentait, pour feu mon père, une façon d’incarner ce type de leadership et de démontrer concrètement les bienfaits du respect de la diversité et de la reconnaissance de toute sa valeur.

En ces temps difficiles, le Prix nous permet de dépasser les divisions et, inspirés par le travail des lauréats, de contribuer à un changement constructif au sein de nos propres sociétés.

[The Global Pluralism Awards were one way my late father sought to model this leadership and show the tangible results of respecting and valuing diversity.

At this challenging time in the world, the Awards enable us to look beyond division and empowered by the work of these laureates, be part of constructive change in our own societies.]

Often pluralism feels like a hard task, an almost unattainable ideal. But the beauty of the Global Pluralism Awards is that it shows us how ordinary people are making an impact on their societies every day, in the face of huge challenges.

These organisations, through ordinary actions, are making an enormous impact on their communities, and engaging partners – often unlikely ones – to work together to solve the biggest issues of our time. Together, they are building movements that change global systems and norms.

This is not always easy work, but its value can outlast us. Once we take time to listen to another who we see as different from ourselves, and we start to understand their story, we may find we have more in common than we thought and our conception of “we” begins to expand.

Ce soir, nous rendons hommage à ces dix lauréats pour tout ce qu’ils accomplissent au quotidien pour donner vie au pouvoir transformateur du pluralisme. Les champs d’action, les régions et les démarches diffèrent, mais le principe qui guide leur engagement est le même : il y a de la place pour que nous puissions, toutes et tous, bien vivre ensemble.

[We celebrate these 10 laureates tonight because of the actions they take every day to enact the transformative power of pluralism. The sectors, regions and approaches vary, but the principles that guide their work are the same – that there is space for everyone to live well together.]

This group of 10 joins a larger group of the 40 laureates who preceded them since the inception of the Award, and the multitude of people who are pushing back against division and marginalisation.

We are each of us part of our global community, and as members of this community we too are responsible for shaping it through our own behaviour toward others.

Je tiens à exprimer ma profonde gratitude aux éminents membres du jury, dont les parcours professionnels et personnels sont aussi riches que variés.

[We are grateful to the distinguished jurors, drawn from various parts of the world and who stem from different professional and personal backgrounds.]

I congratulate the jury Chair, Dr. Marwan Muasher, as well as its other members - Ms. Yásnaya Aguilar Gil, Dr. Comfort Ero, Ms. Reeta Roy, Mr. Gam Shimray, Dr. Stephen Toope and Mr. Antonio Zapulla - for their dedication and their inspired choices of Awardees.

As we congratulate and learn more about these exceptional laureates tonight, I invite you to think about what meaningful action you can implement in your own life. Each of our choices matters in the face of our global challenges.

Merci aux lauréats, au Centre mondial pour le pluralisme, et à chacune et chacun d’entre vous ici ce soir, pour votre engagement envers le pluralisme.

[I thank the laureates, the Global Centre for Pluralism, and each of you in attendance tonight, for your commitment to pluralism.]