REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NUSA DUA -- As many as 100 youth from Indonesia and international countries gained an insight into Indonesia's diversity at the Youth Event of the 6th United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) Global Forum in Bali on Thursday.
During the Youth Event's opening ceremony at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), Nusa Dua, on Thursday, Indonesian Foreign Affair Minister Marty Natalegawa stated that the youth had the unique ability to directly communicate and were able to accept and respect the differences in diversity.
"When the youth meet each other, among them, there can be felt solidarity, togetherness, same vision, and attitude to promote mutual respect and friendship among religions and ethnic groups," Natalegawa noted.
Through the Youth Event, which is focused on "The Role of Youth in Promoting "Unity in Diversity" through Education, Media and Migration," the youth participants were expected to learn about the diversity in Indonesia.
"We expect, through this Youth Event, that they will not only participate in the convention room but will also venture out to see how the Indonesians not only talk about 'Unity in Diversity' (The National Motto) but also show concrete actions in implementing it," Natalegawa remarked.
Natalegawa stated that the youth will serve as strong proponents to provide an alternative vision not merely to maintain the cycle of balancing the tensions but also helping to develop a virtuous cycle of trust and belief in the community.
"I often noted and admired the sense of solidarity and communality that is prevalent among the youth, and I sometimes feel despondent at how such a spirit somehow dissipates as we progress in our lives," Natalegawa noted.
The young generation needs to capture such a spirit and to ensure that it becomes the norm rather than an exception, he stressed.
"You need to maintain honesty among the leaders by ensuring the spirit of togetherness that you are displaying is actually demonstrated and similarly imbued by the leaders of our nations," Natalegawa remarked.
The UNAOC Youth Event was inaugurated by the High Representative of the UNAOC Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Indonesia Marty Natalegawa on Thursday at the BNDCC here on Thursday.
As many as 100 youth participants aged between 18 and 30 years from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds were selected from around three thousand applicants from across the world. Of the total selected applicants, 40 were international participants and 60 were Indonesians.
The participants selected for the Youth Event will join other participants at the 6th UNAOC Forum on August 29-30, 2014.
Al-Nasser reiterated that the youth have an important role in advancing the mission of UNAOC such as preventing conflicts and maintaining peace in the society
"We invest on them, so that they can become the agents of change in the society," Al-Nasser pointed out.
Alliance of Civilization (AoC) was established by the United Nations on July 14, 2005, at the political initiative of Kofi Anan, former UN secretary general and co-sponsored by former prime minister of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan with an aim to promote "Harmony among Civilization."
The Alliance maintains a global network of partners including states, international and regional organizations, civil society groups, foundations, and the private sector to improve cross-cultural relations between diverse nations and communities.
The UNAOC project activities are centered on four areas: Education, Youth, Migration, and Media, which can play a vital role in helping to allay cross-cultural tensions and to build bridges between communities.
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