The 19th NAM Summit Begins in Uganda's Kampala

The two-day 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit began in Uganda's Kampala on 19th January. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar is leading the Indian delegation. 

• The theme of the 19th NAM Summit is “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence”. 
• Member States will discuss global issues such as climate change and food insecurity. They will also prioritize international law, cooperation on collective challenges, and the multilateral system.

About NAM

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) based on Panchsheel principle was founded in 1961 during the Cold War.

• The basic concept of NAM originated in 1955 during the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.
• The first NAM Summit took place in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
• The conference was held under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Sukarno of Indonesia.
• It was based on the view of advancing the interests of developing countries in the context of the Cold War confrontation between the USA and USSR. 
• In the starting phase, it was mainly focused on the development of newly emerged nations like India, Indonesia, Egypt etc.
• It played a crucial role in decolonization, formation of new independent states, and democratization of international relations. 
• Presently the NAM is an organisation of 120 States which accounts for about 60% of the United Nations' overall membership. 
• The functioning of the NAM is organized without any formal administrative structures and without a budget. 
• The 18th NAM Summit was held in 2019 at Baku, Azerbaijan. In 2019 — 2023 NAM was chaired by Azerbaijan. 

Principles of NAM

• Respect for the principles of international law.
• Respect for equality, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of States.
• Peaceful settlement of all international conflicts
• Respect for the political, social, economic, and cultural diversity of countries.
• Defence and promotion of shared interests, justice and cooperation, 
• Respect for the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence,
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of States. 
• Promotion and defence of multilateralism and multilateral organisations