NAM marks 49 years:

NAM: Voice of emerging nations

Senior Professor of the Political Science and Public Policy Department, Colombo University and National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (NCAS) Director Prof Laksiri Fernando speaks on the role of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to Charnika Munasinghe.

Q: Could you elaborate on NAM’s formation, philosophy and its significance?

A: NAM is an intergovernmental organization within and also outside the UN system of 118 countries. All are from the South Asia, Africa and Latin America - except for Belarus. There are 53 African countries, 38 Asian countries and 26 Latin American countries. Fiji will be its newest member. NAM therefore is a movement of emerging developing countries and third world countries.

Prof Laksiri Fernando

NAM represents 55 percent of the world population and 25 percent of the world economy. It is nearly two third of the UN member countries. There are 19 observers including China. China has been a continuous supporter of NAM. The last NAM Summit was in Egypt in 2009. The next one will be in Iran in 2012. NAM doesn’t have a permanent structure and there is no charter or a constitution. It works on the basis of policy declarations and agreed principles. It is a heterogeneous body, working on a broad platform. It started with 25 members and it has grown into 118 members. This is the largest intergovernmental organization after the UN.

The pronounced broad philosophy of NAM is the middle path which is very close to our traditional wisdom, avoiding extremes and chartering a middle way of thinking and action. Non alignment does not mean passive neutrality.

Non alignment meant ‘neutrality’ between the two Super Powers - the US and USSR. It was not neutral on issues such as colonialism, racism, external interference or poverty. NAM has taken strong positions on those issues.

NAM was formed to oppose the cold war. The bipolarization between the two Super Powers was considered dangerous. NAM was formed as a third force to neutralize the tensions between the two and avoid a Third World War. It did succeed. But the objectives were much more.

Emerging nations - India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Egypt, and Ghana - wanted a common platform to oppose international injustices. The threats were mainly from the West.

Q: The movement has no constitution and permanent secretariat, how does NAM operate?

A: NAM operates mainly within the UN system as a lobby group. It is also a solidarity association outside the UN. It believes in multilateralism. It is also a forum for bilateral discussions and negotiations between member countries. At the last summit in Egypt, the Indian Prime Minister and the Pakistani President met to improve their relations. Egypt and Iran improved their relations and Egypt requested Iran to host the next summit. They were rivals.

Triennial summit is the main policy making body. A summit is held for a week. Many discussions are held and declarations are made. Havana Declaration in 1979 was a landmark. It was a strong pronouncement against neo-colonialism. NAM is a movement. A final document at a summit is always agreed upon. The documents can be viewed through its website. These are policy documents and they are by and large acted upon by member countries particularly within the UN system.

The host country of a summit takes the organizational responsibilities of NAM for the next three years. That country becomes the Chair of NAM for that period. The Head of State of that country becomes the NAM Secretary General for the same period. The Foreign Ministry of that country facilitates the activities of NAM between two summits. There is always a Bureau for NAM in New York which is hosted by the Chair. Egypt handles these organizational responsibilities at present.

NAM also works through several working groups. They meet during summits and even in between. One such working group is on the subject of “UN Reforms.” NAM is firmly committed to the UN and its Charter. It is critical of the UN structures and some of its present functions. The Foreign Ministers meetings is an important forum of NAM.

Q: Sri Lanka hosted the 5th Summit, How significant was it for Sri Lanka?

A: The event was extremely significant for Sri Lanka. It was a high point in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. It was particularly significant because the SLFP was in power and Mrs Bandaranaike was the Prime Minister. She was also the Foreign Minister. The Foreign Ministers meeting was held in 1974 prior to the summit in 1976. There has always been a major difference between the SLFP and the UNP on foreign policy. The UNP was always pro Western.

That time NAM’s main political thrust was in support of liberation movements. Sri Lanka came to prominence in supporting those movements in South Africa, Namibia, Rhodesia, Angola and Mozambique. Sri Lanka invited African Nelson Mandela of the National Congress (ANC) to the Colombo Summit. Mrs Bandaranaike addressed the UN General Assembly in 1976 as the Chair of NAM. That was a high point in our country’s foreign policy. Today, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is strongly supporting the Palestinian cause through NAM.

Q: What is your opinion of NAM’s role during the 30 years of war on terror in Sri Lanka?

A: NAM supported Sri Lanka’s stand as Sri Lanka is a like minded country of NAM and NAM has been a friend of Sri Lanka throughout. The founding principles of NAM are for sovereignty and territorial integrity of member countries and it is against separatism. All countries that opposed Sri Lanka are non NAM members. Several NAM countries firmly supported Sri Lanka in its war against terrorism such as India, Pakistan, Iran and Malaysia. NAM countries firmly supported Sri Lanka last year against the attempts by some Western countries at the Human Rights Council in Geneva in May 2009. The last NAM summit was held after two months in July 2009. It said “the Human Rights Council should not allow confrontational approaches, exploitation of human rights for political purposes, selective targeting of individual countries for extraneous considerations and double standards in the conduct of its work.”

Q: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there were doubts about the actual need for NAM?

A: There was speculation to this effect briefly after the end of the Cold War. There is hot war in the Middle East. The West invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and it was a disproportionate reaction to Al Qaeda attacks in New York. Then in 2003, the West invaded Iraq and created mayhem. If not for NAM there is no genuine and independent voice against these invasions and violations.

Bipolar world was dangerous during the Cold War. But unipolar world after the Cold War is more dangerous. NAM has many objectives. Solidarity between emerging nations is one. A new economic world order is another. There had been three vibrant NAM summits since the end of the Cold War. The last summit discussed the international economic crisis and the way forward for the emerging nations. NAM demands structural changes in the World Bank, IMF and WTO. The need of NAM is greater today than before.

Q: How do you see NAM’s future and Sri Lanka’s position in NAM as a member?

A: NAM has a great future. It has to close ranks. The structures should be strengthened. It has a future in economic development, poverty alleviation, proper human rights, creating political stability and ensuring environmental protection. The world should be democratic. Most Western countries are democratic internally but not externally. NAM has a role to play.

Sri Lanka is an important member of NAM and Sri Lanka can immensely contribute to its future while benefiting from its protection against undue interference from certain Western countries. The next summit will be in Iran in 2012.

Sri Lanka could host the summit following that in Colombo or Hambantota in 2015. By that time Sri Lanka will be different, President Mahinda Rajapaksa can be the Chair and the NAM Secretary General.