REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NUSA DUA -- President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised the late Indonesian senior diplomat Ali Alatas for his role in establishing the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in 2005.

"Now is the right time to pay tribute to Ali Alatas for his role in the early days of UNAOC. He had ensured that the UNAOC is not only focusing on the east or west civilizations but rather on all civilizations without any exceptions," Yudhoyono emphasized.

As many as 106 prominent figures from member countries of the United Nations and 1.3 thousand people from various cultures and religious beliefs attended the UNAOC meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali province, here on Friday.

The UNAOC was initiated by the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan on July 14, 2005, and was co-sponsored by the 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 the bomb attacks in Bali, Madrid, Egypt, Istanbul, and London.

This year's Bali Forum is attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN High Representative of the UNAOC Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, and prominent speakers from government and non-government organizations.

The Global Forum themed "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.

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