Many passerby’s jaws have been dropping, when seeing the enormous billboards of Benetton’s UNHATE campaign, displayed in Milan, Paris, Tel Aviv and New York. And that’s exactly the kind of reaction the provocative campaign wanted to communicate to the world. The UNHATE campaign showed Obama kissing the Chinese leader, Merkel snogging France’s most powerful man and many more. The picture of the kissing pope caused so much protest, the poster was taken down after only being up there for one hour.

The UNHATE Foundation, founded by the Benetton Group, has a clear goal; to combat hatred and contribute to an environment of tolerance. Benetton’s feel for social responsibility is not a new one, but certainly a value asking for growth.

The Foundation aims to be a think tank for those minds among us, daring to think differently, contributing to the Foundation by their ideas and actions against the causes and effects of hatred.

The campaign recognizes the key to helping build a global culture of tolerance and acceptance of diversity lies in the future generations. From projects in Israel/Palestine to anti-hatred initiatives in the Brazilian favelas, getting the children that are forced to become killers back to school; from projects working against hatred towards ethnic minorities, to actions in the rundown neighborhoods of our cities; The UNHATE campaign will be there to guide the young into the right direction, as much as they can.

It is so often the “ordinariness” of hatred (between people, groups of people and nations) that stands in the way of rights and access to resources, and perpetuates poverty.

Check out their website. You can even upload your own kiss, the more kiss the more bliss!