BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 22. The 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, from January 15 to 20, 2024, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
Azerbaijan was represented at the summit by a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
The summit was attended by about 120 NAM member states and observers, as well as high-ranking officials of international organizations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Chairman of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis, Secretary General of the African Union Commission Musa Faki Mahammad, Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Abu al-Gheit, Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations Patricia Scotland, and other officials participated and spoke as special guests. A representative of the Youth Organization from Uganda, NAM, headquartered in Azerbaijan, also addressed the meeting.
According to the summit's agenda, a video reflecting the activities and initiatives of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as NAM Chairman was demonstrated, followed by a speech by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on the results of Azerbaijan's chairmanship in NAM.
Representatives of NAM member states and international organizations, including the chairman of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly and the secretary general of the United Nations, who participated in the event, highly assessed the successful 4-year chairmanship of our country in the Movement and expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, even though most of Azerbaijan's chairmanship in the NAM fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan not only successfully fulfilled its tasks but also contributed to the strengthening of the movement by putting forward relevant initiatives and platforms.
The final document of the 19th NAM Summit, which contains several important points for Azerbaijan, was adopted within the framework of the event.
The heads of state and government of NAM member states expressed solidarity in the document regarding the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reintegration activities carried out by Azerbaijan in the territories affected by the conflict, noting that the problem of unexploded ordnance and mines creates obstacles in these territories and calling for international assistance.
The member countries expressed support for the initiative to establish a NAM women's platform put forward by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and considered the NAM conference on advancing women's rights held in Baku in November 2023 as a first step in this direction.
The document notes that the convening of a special session of the UN General Assembly to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, initiated by the President of Azerbaijan in his capacity as NAM Chairperson, promoted access to vaccines and created new opportunities for cooperation within the Movement.
The choice of Azerbaijan as the venue of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change was unanimously endorsed by the NAM member countries.
The work done under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan towards the institutionalization of NAM, in particular the activities of the NAM Youth Organization and the NAM Parliamentary Network, was supported by the final document of the Summit.
During the summit, as a result of the relevant steps taken by Azerbaijan during the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to expand the organization, the only country on the African continent, South Sudan, which was not a member of the organization, joined the ranks of NAM members. Thus, the number of NAM members reached 121. During the meeting, Azerbaijan handed over the chairmanship of the NAM to Uganda. It was noted that our country will continue to make efforts to develop the movement, and in particular, it will continue to contribute to the activities of the organization within the framework of the "troika of chairmanship" of the NAM.
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