East African Gazette
Entebbe
President of Kenya William Ruto has today January 18, 2024 arrived in Uganda to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.
At Entebbe International Airport Ruto was received by John Mulimba, the e Minister of State Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs and Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya
The NAM summit, which is being held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, started on 15th January 2024 and it will end on 20th January 2024. running under the theme ‘Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence”. aimed at strengthening cooperation between NAM Members
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NAM is composed of 120 member states, 18 observer countries and 10 observer organisations.
About NAM?
NAM was established in 1961 and held its first conference in the Belgrade under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.
As a condition for membership, the states of the Non-Aligned Movement cannot be part of a multilateral military alliance such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) or have signed a bilateral military agreement with one of the “big powers” if it was “deliberately concluded in the context of Great Power conflicts.” However, the idea of nonalignment does not signify that a state ought to remain passive or even neutral in international politics.
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On the contrary, from the founding of its stated aim has been to give a voice to developing countries and to encourage their concerted action in world affairs.
Unlike the United Nations (UN) or the Organisation of American States, the Non-Aligned Movement has no formal constitution or permanent secretariat. All members of the Non-Aligned Movement have equal weight within its Organisation. The movement’s positions are reached by consensus in the Summit Conference of Heads of State or Government, which usually convenes every three years. The administration of the Organisation is the responsibility of the country holding the chair, a position that rotates at every summit.
The ministers of foreign affairs of the member states meet more regularly in order to discuss common challenges, notably at the opening of each regular session of the UN General Assembly. One of the challenges of the Movement in the 21st Century has been to reassess its identity and purpose in the post-Cold War era.
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The movement has continued to advocate for international cooperation, multilateralism, and national self-determination, but it has also been increasingly vocal against the inequities of the world economic order.
Objectives of the NAM
The objectives of the non-alignment movement were: To promote and encourage sustainable development through international cooperation. To defend international peace and security by solving disputes through peaceful means. Others are; maintaining peace, promoting economic growth, opposing colonialism and imperialism, opposing military alliances and nuclear weapons acquisitions, declaring the UN as the peacekeeping body and protecting human rights and the environment.
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Importance of NAM
The NAM was founded with the view to advancing the interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontation. In its first three decades, NAM played a crucial role in decolonization, the formation of new independent states and the democratization of international relations. With the decline of the cold war regional conflicts and crises have not ended.
Now NAM can play a meaningful role in the present international scenario to promote world peace and bring about nuclear arms control and disarmament by nuclear powers. The idea behind NAM is that less developed countries should avoid being dragged into conflicts between big powers. The best way for them to survive and thrive is to be non-aligned.
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This gives them flexibility to relate to rival camps for trade and investment. It is also the best strategy for them to preserve their sovereignty and freedom of maneuver in the risky business of international affairs.
PPU/ Tony Rujuta and Fred Nangoli.captured the event