Why in news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the online Summit of Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group to discuss response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Details:
- The online NAM Contact Group Summit on the theme of “United against COVID-19” was hosted by the current Chairman of NAM, the President of Azerbaijan.
- The event also commemorated the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
- Following the Summit, leaders adopted a Declaration underlining the importance of international solidarity in the fight against COVID-19.
- Leaders also announced the creation of a ‘Task Force’ to identify needs and requirements of member States through the establishment of a common database reflecting their basic medical, social and humanitarian needs in the fight against COVID-19.
The objective of the Summit:
To promote international solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and to mobilise efforts of States and international organisations to address the pandemic.
Non-Alignment Movement
- The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral.
- The basic concept for the group originated in 1955 during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia.
- The first NAM Summit Conference took place in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.
- It has 120 members as on April 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan).
- There are 17 countries and 10 international organizations that are Observers at NAM.
- The Non-Aligned Movement was founded and held its first conference (the Belgrade Conference) in 1961 under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.
Principles of NAM:
- Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty
- Mutual non-aggression
- Mutual non-interference in domestic affairs
- Equality and mutual benefit
- Peaceful co-existence
