PARIS, Nov. 18th, 2008: The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura and representative of H. H Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah Abdullah Al Owais awarded the 2008 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Egyptian Professor Gaber Asfour and Portuguese author Adalberto Alves in a ceremony in the Organization's Headquarters in Paris.

Present at the ceremony were UAE Ambassador to France Abdullah Al Ameri as well as members of the diplomatic corps in Paris, Matsura said the Award.

The Prize contributes to the rapprochement among peoples of the world and is awarded this year to Prof. Asfour and Alves who have become spokespersons for share values as well as of their longstanding commitment to intercultural dialogue, said Matsura at the ceremony.

Matsura emphasized the significant role played by the prize-winner in exploring the shared vision of Arabs and Europeans; through the organization of academic gatherings, he has sought to promote better understanding among Arab and European peoples, as well as among Muslims and Christians.

Sharjah, he added, gives prominence to culture as a platform for dialogue and has become a valued partner for UNESCO in preservation of heritage and the promotion of inter-cultural dialogue.

The Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture was established in 1998, on the initiative of the United Arab Emirates. The Executive Board of UNESCO approved the Statutes of the Prize and took note of its Financial Regulations. Following a decision by the 155th Session of the Executive Board, the Prize was originally to be awarded once every two years during the General Conference of UNESCO.

The purpose of the Prize is to reward the efforts of a national of an Arab Country and a national of any other country who have contributed, through their artistic, intellectual or promotional work, to the development and diffusion of Arab culture in the world.

The Director-General received from His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) a letter dated 23 December 2002, indicating the desire to award the Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture every year, instead of every two years, starting from October 2003, and informing that an amount of US$
50,000 will be allocated annually. An amendment to the Statutes of the Prize was prepared. This amendment was proposed to and approved by the Executive Board at its
167th Session.

Dr Gaber Asfour, professor at several Arab, European and American universities, is a former President of Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture. Currently at the head of the National Translation Foundation in Cairo, he plays a major role in the dissemination of Arab culture worldwide. His highly original literary criticism has gained international recognition. A champion of intercultural dialogue, he has promoted values such as women's rights, respect for others, creative diversity and tolerance.

The writer, poet and oriental scholar Adalberto Alves - born Jos Adalberto Coelho Alves - heads the Centro de Estudos Luso-Arabes of Silves (Portugal). His work has inspired many Portuguese and Spanish writers and has contributed to the dissemination of the history of Arab culture of Portugal's Moslem era (the Gharb al-Andalus). He is now working on a dictionary of Portuguese words of Arab origin. He headed a committee that lay the ground for the creation of the Funda ?o da Mem? ria Arabe
(Foundation of Arab Memory), was vice-president of the Portuguese-Arab Cooperation Institute and a member of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Foundation of Arab-Islamic Heritage.

The Sharjah Prize - US$ 30,000 for each laureate funded by the government of the Emirate of Sharjah - was created at the initiative of Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi and approved by the Executive Board of UNESCO in 1998. Its purpose is to reward persons, groups or institutions that have made a significant contribution to the development, the dissemination and promotion of Arab culture throughout the world, and to the safeguarding and revitalization of the Arab intangible cultural heritage. (WAM/MMYS)