Nepal raises voices for the interest of developing nations in 19th NAM Summit

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has stated that he put the voice for the interests of developing nations during the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Kampala, Uganda. The summit was opened on15th January and concluded on 20th.

During a press conference organized at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his return from the 19th NAM Summit, PM Dahal mentioned that he strongly emphasized the issues of economic development and prosperity for developing nations.

“Despite our efforts to graduate from being a Least Developed Country, Nepal is facing various multidimensional challenges, making the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) seemingly elusive,” added the PM.

He reiterated his firm stance on highlighting the crucial matters of economic development and prosperity that developing countries should strive for by meeting internationally agreed goals, including the SDGs, Paris Agreement, and others.

During his address at the concluding program of the 19th NAM Summit, the PM shared that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged the significant contribution of NAM countries to establishing a fair, inclusive, and equitable global system. He emphasized the growing relevance of NAM in the current global context.

In his address at the 19th NAM Summit, Prime Minister Dahal urged member countries to reaffirm their commitment to the values and principles of non-alignment.

The Prime Minister asserted that NAM remains the alternative forum promoting self-dignity, independence, autonomy, and solidarity in the Global South and also extended appreciation to Azerbaijan for providing leadership to the Movement over the last three years as its Chair.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum that is not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.

Drawing on the principles agreed at the Bandung Conference in 1955 held in Indonesia, the NAM was established in 1961 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia through the initiative of President of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito, President of Egypt Gamel Abdel Nasser, Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, President of Indonesia Sukarno, and President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah.

The Bandung principles include respect for the sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of all states, rejection of the possibility of an unconstitutional change of government, the preservation of the inalienable right for each state is free, without interference from outside, to determine its political, social, economic and cultural system, and refusal from aggression and direct or indirect use of force.

The NAM summit is held every three years, usually in a different continent. The last meeting was held in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2019, with the theme, Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world.

As of October 2019, the organization consists of 120 member states, including the non-UN member state of Palestine, as well as 17 other observer countries and 10 observer organizations.