The 19th Non-Aligned Movement summit began on Monday in Uganda's capital Kampala.
Uganda's Foreign Minister Gen. Abubakar Jeje Odongo opened the summit, underlying the increasingly important role of the organization.
"Today, we are faced with many challenges globally, including terrorism, climate change, debt burden, and famine, among others, and it is therefore befitting that this year's summit will be held under the theme, Deepening cooperation for shared global affluence," Odongo said, as cited by media.
He added that, given the complex global situation, it is clear that the 10-point Badung Principles continue to be important in the present era. These principles, adopted in 1955, encompass respect for the sovereignty, equality, and territorial integrity of all states; abstaining from the notion of an unconstitutional change of government; safeguarding the inviolable right of each state to determine its own political, social, economic, and cultural system without external interference; and abstaining from aggression and the direct or indirect application of force.
Furthermore, a Palestinian representative also attended the forum. In his speech, he underlined that "the movement [has] supported Palestine from the beginning [of the war and] will support" the country until the conflict is resolved and the "inalienable rights of the Palestinian people" are accomplished. Some other countries, like Lebanon and Pakistan, expressed their support to Palestine, proposing to focus the current forum on "the major event of our time," i.e. Israeli-Palestinian war.
The NAM summit is held every three years, usually on a new continent. The topic of the most recent summit, which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2019, was Upholding the Bandung Principles to enable a coordinated and sufficient response to the challenges of the modern world.
Along with more than fifty heads of state and government, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will also speak at the conference. The event is anticipated to draw in between 1,000 and 1,500 delegates in total.