Today, President Yoweri Museveni is set to officially take over the rotating three-year chairpersonship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from Azerbaijan. The handover ceremony is scheduled for this morning at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel in Kampala, as announced by Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi.
Baryomunsi stated on January 19, 2024, that the senior officials and ministerial meetings have progressed well, leading to the anticipated opening ceremony where NAM leadership will be formally handed over to President Museveni. The ceremony will include speeches and discussions extending up to Saturday.
NAM, founded in 1961 during the Cold War era, initially aimed to help developing countries assert their independence from the competing claims of the United States and the former Soviet Union. Following the end of the Cold War in 1991, NAM redefined itself as a bloc for countries not formally aligned with any major power. Currently, NAM comprises 121 countries, spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe, including observer countries and organizations.
The bloc operates based on five core principles: mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in domestic affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful co-existence.
In addition to chairing NAM, Uganda will also chair the G77+China summit beginning on Saturday at Munyonyo. The G77+China, established in June 1964 by 77 developing countries and now counting over 130 member states, focuses on economic cooperation and development. Despite not being a member, China collaborates with the group under the framework of “G77 and China.”
The combined population of NAM and G77+China is 6.4 billion people, according to President Museveni. He views these occasions as opportunities to present ideas and perspectives, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond philosophical, ideological, and strategic shallowness.
