NAM, relevant than ever before
The XV Summit of the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is currently in session in Sharm El
Sheik, Egypt. Attended by Heads of State or Governments of over
120 member nations, it is the biggest international forum after
the United Nations.
As the successor to the Afro-Asian Conference of States held
in Bandung in 1955 April, the principles set out in Bandung as
binding relations between sovereign States fighting for economic
emancipation became the core principles of NAM. The first NAM
Summit was held in Belgrade in 1961 and was convened by such
illustrious leaders as Sri Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame
Nkrumah of Ghana, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Ahmed Sukarno of
Indonesia and Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia.
Born at the height of the Cold War as a coordinating body for
South - South cooperation and an independent multilateral forum
for developing nations, NAM has withstood many upheavals in
international economic and political domains. At the collapse of
the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc of nations that ended
the Cold War, many were predicting the demise of NAM too. They
argued that NAM had lost its relevance as the division of the
world into two rival power blocs had ended. That's not all. When
the developing countries lost the political and economic
assistance of the Socialist community of nations there were many
attempts by the West to forcibly recruit as many members of NAM
as a fifth column inside NAM. True, they succeeded to some
extent and some NAM Summits were unable to make headway in the
confused world set up at the time.
However, NAM was able not only to defend its principles but
also to unify its ranks and surge ahead with added vigour thanks
to the pioneering efforts of a few countries such as Malaysia,
Cuba and our own Sri Lanka. Today when holding its XV Summit,
NAM stands more united and more conscious of its
anti-imperialist and anti-neocolonialist role.
The Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers who just concluded their
meeting in Sharm El Sheik preparing the final documents for
endorsement by the Heads of State noted that "the present global
scenario presents great challenges in the areas of peace and
security, economic development and social progress, human rights
and the rule of law to Non-Aligned countries." Observing that
globalization in the present form perpetuates or even increases
the marginalization of developing nations, the Ministers
emphasized that "globalization must be transformed into a
positive force for change for all peoples, benefiting all
countries, and contributing to the prosperity and empowerment of
developing countries, not their continued impoverishment and
dependence on the developed world."
NAM has also correctly understood the impediments and threats
to world peace as increasing tendency by certain States to
resort to unilateralism and unilaterally imposed measures,
non-fulfillment of the commitments and obligations assumed under
relevant international legal binding instruments especially on
weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, conflicts, violation of
human rights and international humanitarian law and the use of
double standards in international relations.
The current Summit has displayed unanimity of opinion on the
need to oppose unilateral evaluation of countries and their
actions and the exertion of pressure by external powers on
sovereign countries. It was also categorical in rejecting the
tendencies to apply so-called extra-territorial laws of certain
countries multilaterally. It reaffirmed its belief in the United
Nations, its Charter for the preservation of peace and security
and maintaining peace.
Recent history confirms that the NAM has been a consistent
defender of the sovereignty of nations and their right to choose
a system of governance of their own. This was illustrated in the
case of the military coup in Bolivia where NAM condemned it in
unequivocal terms and called for the restitution of the
democratically elected Head of State. Sri Lankans would also
remember with gratitude the forthright stand taken up by NAM in
the Human Rights Council in Geneva defending Sri Lanka's
position vis a vis human rights and the humanitarian operations
in the North.
Today, the Non - Aligned Movement has been strengthened by
the swelling of its ranks, by the consolidation of its ideology
and structure and the rise of its stature in the international
arena. Its voice is being heard with respect at all
international fora. Gone are the days in which Western cynics
could relegate it to the backyard with contempt and ridicule.
Slowly and steadily but surely the tables are being turned in
its favour. |