His Highness the Aga Khan receives the UN Champion for Global Change Award

His Highness the Aga Khan received the United Nations Champion for Global Change Award from the United Nations Foundation on 18 October 2017. The award was presented to His Highness by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the 2017 United Nations Global Leadership Dinner held in New York City, USA.

At the event, the Aga Khan spoke about the need for balanced partnerships between government, private and civil society institutions in the quest to achieve progress. He also emphasised the importance of pluralism, saying, "And fundamental to all of this, of course, is a basic philosophical commitment which is expressed by another important word and that word is “pluralism”. This is a frame of mind which regards diversity, multiplicity, and indeed difference itself – not as a burden nor a threat but as a gift – a Gift of the divine – an opportunity to learn rather than a danger to be avoided."

Pluralism is one of the five Aga Khan Curricular Strands, which are areas of focus at each Aga Khan Academy that act as lenses through which students engage with the curricular content. The five strands are seen as key elements in educating future leaders for the developing world.

Click here to read the full text of His Highness the Aga Khan's speech at the United Nations Global Leadership Dinner.