India has urged members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to introspect and reflect upon the grouping’s achievements to make it relevant and effective in the face of new challenges.

Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, who is leading an Indian delegation to the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan, said NAM has played an important role in promoting global peace and security and in voicing the hopes and aspirations of nearly two-thirds of humanity.

Naidu also hit out at Pakistan for misusing the NAM summit to justify its long-standing policy of cross-border terrorism against its neighbours.

“We must take this opportunity to introspect and reflect upon the NAM journey and its achievements so far, and what concrete steps we can take to make this Movement relevant and effective as it gears up to face the new challenges of the modern world,” Naidu said.

“It (NAM) has imparted political impetus and moral direction to many important processes, including our shared struggles to end colonisation and eliminate Apartheid. If we are to remain relevant, this tradition of independence must be defended and nurtured so that we set our own agenda,” he said.

He said India had been a proud and integral part of this journey since the very beginning. “We have fought shoulder to shoulder with our NAM partners to secure a more equal and just world order for our people. We continue our unwavering commitment and solidarity for the Palestinian cause,” he said.

Naidu said in the six decades since Bandung and Belgrade, however, the world has undergone a remarkable transformation.

“Today we are faced with serious challenges of an interdependent world. Globalisation and unprecedented technological advances are shaping the 21st century in unpredictable and often disruptive ways. As we all strive to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth and a better future for our people, we must realise that our destinies are linked like never before. This is the message that I bring to NAM on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians,” he said.

The adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the global 2030 Sustainable Development Goals represent important milestones in recognising the inter-linkage and inter-dependence of our actions and their impacts on our planet's health, Naidu said.

Background

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is the biggest forum for political coordination and consultation after and within the UN, composed by 120 member states from the developing world. There are also 17 countries and 10 international organisations that hold an observer status.

After the UN, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.

The NAM works from a unique, non-hierarchical, rotating and participatory standpoint, with the intention of enabling every single member state, without differentiation or discrimination of any kind, to involve itself in the decision-making of global and political processes. The Movement is led by a Chair that rotates every three years, currently Venezuela, who is assisted and/or advised by the former and upcoming Chair of the Movement; that is, Iran and Azerbaijan, respectively. The Troika represents the past, present and future of the Movement.

Establishment of NAM

NAM was established and founded during the collapse of the colonial system and the independence struggles of the people of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world, and at the height of the Cold War.

The African-Asian Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia, from April 18 to 24, 1955, is considered the most immediate antecedent to the establishment of NAM.

The following are considered to be the founding fathers and historic leaders of the Movement: Joseph Broz Tito (President of Yugoslavia), Gamal Abdel Nasser (President of Egypt), Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime Minister of India), Sukarno (President of Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (President of Ghana), who decided to declare it as a Movement, with a view to avoid the bureaucratic implications of an international organisation.

During the early days of the Movement, its actions were a key factor in the decolonisation process, which led later to the attainment of freedom and independence by many countries and people and to the founding of tens of new sovereign states.

NAM was officially established in 1961, at the Belgrade Summit, hosted by President Josip Broz Tito, following the discussions that were triggered during the Afro-Asian Conference of 1955, hosted by President Sukarno, and which resulted in the adoption of the Bandung Principles that up to date still serve as the purposes and objectives of the policy of non-alignment, and which have governed relations between big and small nations.

Throughout its history, NAM has played a fundamental role in the preservation of world peace and security.

It takes decisions by consensus, which enhances the unity and solidarity among the member states of the Movement.

The Ten Principles of NAM

The Ten Principles of Bandung were adopted as the main goals and objectives of the non-alignment policy and the essential criteria to the membership of this Movement. They remain in full validity today and are at the backbone of the Movement. These principles are…

1. Respect of fundamental human rights and of the objectives and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

2. Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

3. Recognition of the equality among all races and of the equality among all nations, both large and small.

4. Non-intervention or non-interference into the internal affairs of another country.

5. Respect of the right of every nation to defend itself, either individually or collectively, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.

6. Non-use of collective defence pacts to benefit the specific interests of any of the great powers.

7. Refraining from acts or threats of aggression and use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country. Non-use of pressures by any country against other countries.

8. Settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means, such as negotiation, conciliation, arbitration or judicial settlement as well as other peaceful means of the parties’ own choice, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations.

9. Promotion of mutual interest and cooperation.

10. Respect for justice and international obligations.

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