Niël Terblanché
Dr Nangolo Mbumba, the Vice-President of the Republic of Namibia, took part in the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Uganda, held from January 19 to 20, 2024.
The summit, hosted by Uganda, brought together leaders from NAM member states to discuss and strategize on global issues affecting developing countries.
The NAM Summit, which is the primary political platform for advancing the interests of developing nations, was preceded by a Ministerial Meeting on January 17 and 18, 2024. During this meeting, participants emphasized the importance of enhancing South-South, North-South, and Triangular Cooperation to address the needs of developing countries effectively and collaboratively.
In his address to the summit, Dr Mbumba acknowledged the challenges faced by the world today, including heightened global tensions, persistent conflicts, the ongoing pandemic, and unprecedented calamities.
He stressed the importance of solidarity and unity among NAM member states in addressing these formidable challenges.
Dr. Mbumba highlighted the need for strengthened economic cooperation among NAM member states, emphasizing economic development, trade, and investments as top priorities. He also invited fellow NAM members to cooperate with Namibia in the development of energy infrastructure, particularly in the production of green energy.
The Vice President underlined the importance of rejecting isolationist and nationalistic tendencies that hinder international cooperation and economic progress, as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He called on NAM member states to resist such measures and work towards narrowing the development gap and leaving no one behind.
Namibia’s commitment to upholding human rights was also evident in Dr. Mbumba’s speech.
He strongly condemned the ongoing violence in Palestine and expressed support for the International Court of Justice’s consideration of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, as well as South Africa’s request for provisional measures to end the violence and uphold international law.
The summit reiterated its commitment to supporting the self-determination of non-self-governing territories and called for an end to universal coercive measures against affected member countries.
As a member of the AU Committee of Ten on the Reform of the UN Security Council, he demanded effective representation for Africa on a reformed Security Council, reflecting the principles of unity and justice.
Namibia will continue to play its part in advancing these ideals throughout the year, including in the upcoming negotiations for the Summit of the Future in February 2024.
The 19th NAM Summit, held under the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence,” aims to promote a more just, equitable, and representative international system.
NAM member states, collectively the largest bloc of countries at the United Nations, are focusing on strengthening the UN development system to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and improve global governance.
Uganda will assume the role of NAM Chair until 2027, following Azerbaijan’s tenure since 2019 when they hosted the 18th NAM Summit.
Dr Mbumba was accompanied by Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, and senior government officials during the summit.
