Welcome
at the World Cultural Council’s 23th Award Ceremony

by Dr. José Enrique Villa Rivera
General Director Instituto Politécnico Nacional

"For as long as space endures
and for as long as living beings remain,
until then, may I too abide
to dispel the misery of the world".

Honorable Members of the Executive Committee;

Esteemed Special Guests;

Distinguished Laureates;

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Those are the words with which the Dalai Lama ended his thank you speech on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize almost two decades ago. It is a phrase which lends itself to various fields of reflection, one of them being to remind ourselves that at this very ceremony, one aspect which has come to light is the responsibility of each of the inhabitants of this planet to seek and build a world of harmony and peace. It was highlighted that, beyond the obligation to ourselves, our children and dear ones, there is the moral commitment towards those who have not had the same opportunities for development, and who barely survive in indigence, neglect and ignorance.

We are witnesses of the deep contradictions of modern times and, along with the rest of the community of nations, we face the great challenges of the twenty-first century, still in the hope of being able to build a more equitable and a fairer world together. Nowadays more than ever before, we need to address the calls of the Report on Human Development and work out how new technologies and the progress of knowledge can best contribute to people’s welfare, at the same time as stressing the critical importance of bolstering human rights and buttressing democracy in order to protect and to create capacities favoring the most vulnerable.

These are ideals shared in the fullest sense by the World Cultural Council, with its noble objective of promoting fraternity among peoples, nations and governments, seeking understanding based on the respect for ideologies, opinions, religion, race and gender, on the premise, which we fully endorse, that the cornerstone lies in the positive use of knowledge.

This splendid evening, on behalf of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, I would like to give you the warmest of welcomes, distinguished personalities and guests, to the Twenty-Third Award Ceremony of the World Cultural Council.

Through the two awards bearing their names, let us remember the illustrious scientist who revolutionized knowledge, and whose contributions changed our concept of the universe: Albert Einstein, along with a great educator, philosopher and man of letters, renowned among Mexicans: José Vasconcelos, both of whom, in the same age and from their own front, took on the great ideal of generating and contributing knowledge to society.

Tonight, in one of the most important houses of fine art in the world, and in this room, where we can go back in time to listen to the harmonious piano melodies of Manuel M. Ponce, the World Cultural Council pays tribute to the career of a visionary woman: Marlene Scardamalia, whose work has revolutionized the field of education, and to a celebrated scientist and humanist, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1999: Ahmed Zewail. They have turned research and education into an opportunity to penetrate the beautiful, wonderful world of knowledge, contributing with their discoveries to progress and a better perception of our surroundings. They are an example of what can be achieved when war is waged against ignorance and inequality with the weapons of knowledge. I would like to offer them, from the outset, my warm and heartfelt congratulations, and to again welcome you all to this eminent ceremony.