Al-Nasr UNAOC's Achievements before Bali Forum

Bali, August 29 (QNA) - HE the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations HE Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Nasr has expressed pleasure over the high-level representation from various countries around the world in the 6th United Nations Forum of the World Alliance of Civilizations, which opened today in the island of Bali, Indonesia, under the slogan (Unity in Diversity). During a speech before the Ministerial Segment Of Sixth UNAOC Global Forum, HE Al-Nasr said "I am pleased to welcome you to our ministerial segment of the 6th Global Forum. I am happy to see Foreign Ministers and representatives of International Organizations, academia, civil society and the media and I thank all of you for their support to the Alliance. HE Al Nasr said " Under our banner for this year’s Forum "Unity in Diversity", we will explore a variety of topics that provide us insights into the importance of those words and their importance to the mission of the Alliance. President Yudhiyono has been most gracious in his hospitality and the commitment of the Indonesian government to making this Forum a success will always be remembered. "I also wish to thank our co-sponsors the Governments of Spain and Turkey as well as the Governments that previously hosted these important events, Brazil and Austria. My special thanks go also to Qatar for hosting the 4th Global Forum two years ago and the preparatory conference of this Forum last April and I would like to seize this opportunity to welcome here with us, His Excellency and my dear friend Mr. Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, the Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar. "I also wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you who worked so diligently to arrive at agreement on the text of the Bali Declaration. This important document crystallizes the most important concepts we wish to take away from the two days we will be spending here. I thank you and your representatives for your efforts in this regard." In his remarks Al-Nasr added that "since we last gathered in New York last September, we have witnessed a continuation and even an increase in the level of violence attributable to religious violence and cultural divisions. I need not reference each one here but it is enough to remind you that these problems span the globe from Africa to the Middle East to Asia. "On building on Previous Achievements: We have worked diligently to identify the program activities that had the greatest impact and had the best chance for sustainability. This has resulted in building up several of our activities including the Youth Solidarity Fund, the BMW-Intercultural Innovation Award, the Entrepreneurs for Social Change Project, the Summer School, the Media Literacy Program, the Hate Speech Project and competitions such as Plural + and PeaceApp," Al-Nasr said. On adding to the Conflict Resolution Toolbox, Al-Nasr said " We are making all reasonable efforts, in coordination with the Policy and Mediation Unit of the Department of Political Affairs, to assist and augment their work wherever possible. We have expanded our work into the prevention field through our efforts on Combatting Violent Extremism in cooperation and consultation with the Counter-terrorism Task Force of DPA and will be hosting a training event for diaspora Somali journalists in September. This morning we heard from President Yudhiyono who added his voice to the call for us to do more to use religion and culture as bridges between peoples. We heard specific suggestions to this effect from Foreign Minister Garcia Margallo to use mediation for defusing tensions. I have heard the call. And I am committed to making this a reality. On increasing interaction with Media, Civil Society, Business Sector and Academia, the United Nations High Representative for Alliance of Civilizations said "I have signed Memoranda of Understanding with civil society organizations, opened the door for them and for the media to interact with the Alliance in every meeting and occasion." (QNA)