Context: Recently the 19th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in the Uganda’s capital Kampala under the theme of “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence”.
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• Uganda currently holds the chair of NAM for the 2024-26 term and is hosting member states for this high-level gathering aimed at reinforcing unity among developing nations.
• India called for a “two-state” solution on Israel-Palestinian crisis and deeper international cooperation to address “shared threat” of terrorism.
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
• Origin: The idea was conceived during the 1955 Bandung Conference and the movement was officially founded at the 1961 Belgrade Conference.
• Founding fathers: Prominent leaders involved in its founding include Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), and Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia).
• Membership:
- NAM comprises of 121 countries, 54 from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America & the Caribbean, and 2 from Europe.
- The group includes Palestine, 17 observer nations, and 10 organisations, representing about 60% of the UN, making it the second-largest intergovernmental bloc after the UN.
• Core Principles:
- Non-alignment: The movement’s central principle is to remain neutral and not to align with either the U.S. or Soviet blocs during the Cold War.
- Anti-colonialism: The organization actively opposes imperialism, colonialism, neocolonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign domination.
- Peaceful coexistence: A key goal is to promote peaceful coexistence and the resolution of conflicts through non-violent means.