NAM relevant than ever
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was formed nearly fifty
years ago in June 1961 at its founding summit in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia. Its precursor was the Asian-African conference held
in Bandung in 1955 convened by Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Burma
and Indonesia and attended by a total of 29 nations representing
more than half the world population.
It was a logical consequence of decolonization and the
emergence of a large number of newly independent states,
principally in Asia and Africa. The movement comprised the
majority of the world's nations that represented the
overwhelming majority of the world's population.
At the height of the cold war NAM continued to be independent
of both power blocs. It pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence
of States with different socio-economic systems and upheld the
territorial integrity and sovereignty of all nations. It
advocated the solution of problems between States through
negotiations.
Though NAM remained equidistant from both power blocs at that
time, it nevertheless was politically not neutral. It
consistently supported the national liberation movement and the
independence of states. It fought both imperialism and
neo-colonialism.
With the demise of the Soviet Union and the system of
socialist states cynics openly expressed the opinion that NAM
had lost its relevance. This opinion was found in our country
too. However, NAM survived up to date and it has taken new
significance now.
From its inception NAM continued to fight for a new world
economic order. In the United Nations and in its agencies and
other multilateral fora the NAM continues to represent the
developing nations in their struggle for justice and equality.
Specifically, it has championed the reform of the United
nations, the international financial institutions and other
world bodies.
With the emergence and proliferations of terrorism it is
spearheading the struggle to eliminate terrorism from the earth.
The voice of NAM is heard strongly in the trade negotiations in
the Doha Round. The combined strength of NAM has prevented the
developed nations from proceeding with unjust restrictions on
trade and using non-trade issues as a method to perpetuate their
dominance in the international market. Thus the NAM has been
invigorated with a new dynamism.
Sri Lanka has benefitted twice in the recent past due to the
timely intervention of the NAM on her behalf. The first was last
year at the Human Right Council of the United Nations in Geneva
when leading members of the NAM joined with other nations to
defeat categorically a resolution brought up by certain Western
powers deploring alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka
during the last phase of the war against terror.
Again last week the NAM sent a strong note of protest against
attempted interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka by
the Secretary General of the United Nations by appointing an
expert panel to advise him on the country.
On both occasions the NAM was defending the sovereignty of
our country, true to its founding principles.
Though there was a period after the demise of the Soviet
Union in which certain members of the movement swayed towards
the sole superpower left, the ascendance of a multi-polar world
on the horizon has helped the NAM to regain its original focus.
Members of NAM are beginning to play a leading role in
international affairs and some of them such as India, China,
Brazil and South Africa are developing to be the leaders of the
world in the not too distant future.
In the present context in which the world balance of forces
is shifting towards the Third World the relevance of the NAM is
greater than ever. Sri Lanka, as a founding member, should play
its honourable part in strengthening and carrying forward the
principles of the NAM in the international arena for its own
benefit and that of the world. |