BALI GEARS UP FOR SIXTH UNAOC GLOBAL FORUM by Fardah

   Jakarta, Aug 27, 2014 (Antara) - Bali Island, one of the world's most famous tourist destinations, is gearing up to host the Sixth Global Forum of United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).

      The forum will be held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) on August 29 and 30, 2014.

         President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to open the UNAOC Global Forum, which will be attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN High Representative of the UNAOC Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, and Timor Leste President Taur Matan Ruak, as well as scores of ministers. 
    The Sixth UNAOC Global Forum, with this year¿s theme "Unity in Diversity", is focusing on four pillars: Education, Youth, Media, and Migration. The theme is based on Indonesia's national motto of "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" or "Unity in Diversity."

     The motto reflects the outlook of Indonesia's founding fathers and embraces the wealth of Indonesia's cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity.

        The meeting will be preceded by the UNAOC Youth Forum, bringing together some 200 youth delegates from across the world on August 28, 2014. Representatives of 114 member of UNAOC's Group of Friends (GoF) will also join the Forum.

          The UNAOC was created by UN secretary general Kofi Annan on July 14, 2005 and was co-sponsored by former prime minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodreguez Zapatero and Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

          The first UNAOC Global Forum was held in Madrid, Spain in 2008 to jointly condemn extremist actions, such as bomb attacks in Bali, Madrid, Egypt, Istanbul, and London.

         The objective of the Global Forum is to bridge inter-civilization communications across the world, Teuku Faizasyah, a presidential special staff in charge of international relations, noted in a statement on August 26, 2014.

            "UNAOC is aimed at promoting 'Harmony among Civilizations' and to bridge the gap between Islam and the West. Furthermore, UNAOC endorses the common political will and aims to mobilize common actions against prejudice, misperceptions, and to eliminate extremism in societies," he emphasized.

         On the sidelines of the Global Forum, President Yudhoyono is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Ban Ki-Moon, OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani, and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, who will also be present at the meeting, according to Faizasyah.     
    Because of the presence of many VIPs, Indonesian security personnel from regional military and police commands have jointly strengthened security ahead of the opening of the Forum.  At least 4,895 joint personnel from the Indonesian military and police will be deployed.

         "Security is multi-tiered, including the Ring 1 zone covered by military personnel and outside the zone covered by joint teams of military and police personnel," Bali' s regional police command chief Inspector, General Albertus Julius Benny Mokalu, who is also deputy commander of UNAOC VVIP Security Operations, said in Nusa Dua, Bali, on August 27.

         He noted that security would be focused on head of state level officials and ministers, venues of activities, routes to be passed by delegates and hotels where guests will stay.

        Further, the Chief of IX/Udayana Regional Military Command, Wisnu Bawa Tenaya, pointed out that soldiers should master VIP security procedures and avoid negligence by being increasingly sensitive to the environment.

            "They should not hesitate in coordinating the situation with related parties when securing the meeting," Wisnu added.

         The security personnel will be supported by five warships  to guard Bali's waters.  "We will deploy five warships to anticipate against any foreign movement seeking to sabotage the event on the island," Chief of the island's naval base, Colonel Julius Widjojono, stated in Nusa Dua, Badung, recently.

          He explained that the ships to be deployed are KRI Weling, KRI Ahmad Yani, KRI Makassar, KRI Pulau Rimau, and KRI Soputan. They will be on standby at Benoa and will later patrol around Nusa Dua and Denpasar, the capital of the island.

        To secure Bali's air space, the Indonesian Air Force will fly jet fighters. "Two Sukhoi jet fighters will be deployed from the Indonesian Air Force base in Makassar, South Sulawesi," Col. Infantry Bernadus Robert, head of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Public Information Center, stated recently.

        Besides the Sukhois, one MI-35 helicopter, four F-16s, and one QW Missile Launch Unit will also remain on standby, Robert said.

         The Indonesian foreign ministry noted in a statement that the privilege of hosting such an important event is an acknowledgement of Indonesia¿s efforts in promoting harmony among civilizations through, among others, maintaining an active role in interfaith and inter-civilization dialogue and inter-media dialogue, even before the UNAOC was established. ***1***
(f001/INE/a014)