President Yoweri Museveni, newly elected as the chair of the 19th NAM Heads of State and Government Summit, emphasized leveraging NAM’s strength for significant influence at the UN, emphasizing unity and solidarity among Member States based on the Bandung principles.
Uganda assumed leadership from Azerbaijan during the ongoing summit in Munyonyo Kampala, marking a three-year chairmanship.
In his speech, President Museveni advocated focusing on common human issues, prosperity through trade, scientific advancement, environmental concerns, and combating crime and terrorism, aligning with the Bandung Principles that underpin NAM’s foundation.
Highlighting Uganda’s success in combining free-market ideas with selective state intervention and embracing pre-capitalist institutions, President Museveni stressed the positive outcomes, with Uganda experiencing a growth rate of 6.2% per year over the last 37 years.
“We, the resistance fighters of Uganda, can testify that by synthesizing the package of ideas, we have got very good results. Using the ideas of the free market, combined with the ideas of selective State intervention in the economy in some sectors like banking, energy, transport, etc. and also bringing back some aspects of the pre-capitalist institutions such as reformed cultural institutions, Uganda, although starting from a very low base, has had growth rates of 6.2% per year, for the last 37 years,” he explained.
Emphasizing the importance of free associations of nations, President Museveni further expressed optimism for the future, stating, “The future is bright if we act right.”
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs Minister, H.E Jeyhun Bayramov, representing the outgoing chair, commended Uganda and pledged support for a successful NAM leadership transition. He also acknowledged Azerbaijan’s efforts during its term, contributing to institutional development and addressing challenges like combating Covid-19.
H.E Dennis Francis, President of the 78th UN General Assembly session, congratulated Uganda, expressing readiness to support NAM’s strategic engagement and influence under Uganda’s chairmanship.
In his remarks, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, affirmed the commitment to strengthen cooperation with NAM for peace, security, and development, expressing concerns about challenges faced by the continent, including conflicts, terrorism, and instability.
NAM, comprising 120 countries without formal alignment with major power blocs, was founded to advance the interests of developing countries during the Cold War.