Zimbabwe: President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa attended the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement at Munyonyo Resort in Kampala, Uganda. The opening session was done under Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and handed over the chairmanship to President Yoweri Museveni.
The 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was inaugurated with a call by leaders to member states to focus on unity as the world continued to push for unilateralism.
Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, opened the summit on behalf of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and the outgoing chair of NAM said that the meeting took place at a time when the international system was facing many challenges.
The minister called for continued unity among the member countries to address these challenges. Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship of NAM in 2019 and is set to hand it over to Uganda later this week.
The Ugandan president and incoming chair of NAM – Yoweri Museveni, said that the NAM will not accept the continued push for unilateralism and dictating by the developed North on what independent states must do. He said that nations should not be manipulated, lectured or threatened.
He added to his statement, “Our stand is that the world should concentrate on the common human problems i.e. prosperity through trade, the advance of science and technology to deal with human problems, the environment, crime and terrorism. The future is bright if we act right.”
Museveni also said that the strength of NAM should be used to exercise considerable influence at the UN for the effective, transformative process for a better common future.
The president mentioned, “In the negotiations for the Pact of the Future, the outcome document of the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future to be held in New York in September 2024, we should clearly define priorities that favour developing countries by maintaining unity, solidarity and collective coordination among our member states.”
Since its establishment in 1961, the NAM has been guided by the Bandung Principles, which include respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, recognition of the equality of all races and nations, large and small and abstention from intervention or interference in the internal affairs of other countries.