19th Non-aligned Movement Summit Opens in Uganda

On Friday, the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) opened as the 120-member state movement seeks more influence on global affairs.

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At the opening ceremony, Uganda officially took over the chairmanship of the NAM from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov, who opened the summit on behalf of the Azerbaijan president and outgoing chair of the NAM, said the meeting takes place at a time when the international system is facing many challenges. He called for continued unity among the member countries to address these challenges.

Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan president and incoming chair of the NAM, said the ongoing unilateralism in the global governance system is not acceptable.

Museveni said that no system of governance should be imposed on others, and called for unity among NAM member states as they seek to influence global affairs, especially at the United Nations Summit of the Future scheduled for September this year.

The Ugandan foreign affairs ministry said earlier that 28 heads of state and government have confirmed their attendance at the two-day summit. The summit, held under the theme "Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence," was preceded by the ministerial meeting and the senior officials meeting.

Since its establishment in 1961, the NAM has been guided by the Bandung Principles, which include respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, recognition of the equality of all races and nations, large and small, and abstention from intervention or interference in the internal affairs of other countries.