A multi-agency delegation of Uganda government officials led by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, is in South Africa for a two-day knowledge sharing visit on hosting the Non-Aligned Movement Summit (NAM).
Uganda will host the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in January next year under the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence”.
Uganda’s delegation now in South Africa also includes Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN).
At the commencement of the knowledge sharing visit, the PS and his team paid a courtesy call meeting on Dr. Zane Dangor, the Director General(DG) of DIRCO.
During the meeting with Dr. Zane, both teams shared knowledge on a range of issues that included South Africa’s views on the future of the Non-Aligned Movement, Uganda’s vision and theme for the NAM Summit, Uganda’s priorities for the NAM Summit, and the task of chairing of the NAM Summit in the current international geo-political environment.
After meeting with the DG-DIRCO, the Ag. Deputy Director General of the Global Governance and continental agenda, Mr. Zaheer Laher treated the PS and his delegation to an elaborate presentation on the organization structure and methodology of hosting of the NAM Summit.
He took them through South Africa’s experience on hosting NAM in 1998, the NAM Coordinating Bureau, Role of the NAM Chair, the Non-Aligned Security Council Caucus, the Joint coordinating Commitee, the NAM Meetings and their frequency, the NAM Working Group and the Committee on Palestine.
Mr Zaheer also explained the need to build partnerships and continuously engage, the challenge of concurrently charing the NAM and the G77, the need to strategize on how to attain optimal outcomes at the end of the Summit, striking the delicate balance between NAM member states and non-member states’ interests, among others.
In addition to the above, the Chief of State Protocol of the Republic of South Africa Amb. Losi Tutu and her team shared knowledge with PS’ delegation in the areas of coordination and events management, operational areas and logistics (venues, accommodation and transport management) arrival and departures, ceremonies, media, finances, accreditation, firearms and aircraft clearance and host of other protocol and logistical arrangements.
At the end of the visit, the DIRCO pledged continued support to Uganda’s preparations for hosting the NAM Summit and Chairmanship of NAM.
The PS thanked his hosts for the invaluable time they took off to share the priceless knowledge with him and his delegation. He committed to many more such engagements in future; before, during and after the Summit.
The NAM is an international organisation consisting of 120 countries as of April 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan) that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc and is the largest grouping of Member states worldwide after the United Nations (UN).
Uganda was endorsed to officially Chair the organisation on behalf of Africa for the period from 2023 – 2026.
During the summit, which will be held at Speke Resort Munyonyo in January 2024, President Museveni will take over the chairmanship of the organization from the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and his leadership will last up to 2026.
Last month, President Yoweri Museveni said Uganda’s selection to host the Non-Aligned Movement Heads of State Summit in 2024 was due to its neutrality on international issues.
“Uganda was selected to host and the reason to select Uganda was because of our independent position in the world. We didn’t apply,” Museveni said.
The President who was addressing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentary Regional Whips at State House Entebbe yesterday, noted that the upcoming meeting is bigger than the African Union, one of the biggest meetings Uganda has ever held in 2010 and the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, adding that it’s an opportunity to market Uganda and boost tourism.
“It will be very easy for us to talk about business and trade with them. When we held the Commonwealth meeting our tourist arrivals rose since then when the world heard that Africa had hosted the Commonwealth successfully,” H.E Museveni further said, adding that apart from the NAM meeting, Uganda will also host the high-level international Summit of the Group of Seventy-Seven Plus China (G77 + China).