President Cyril Ramaphosa has this evening, 18 January 2024, arrived in Kampala in the Republic of Uganda to attend the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, to be held on 19 to 20 January 2024 under the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.”
The summit is preceded by a meeting of the NAM Ministers held from 17 to 18 January 2024.
The NAM Summit is the highest decision-making authority of the Movement and holds the Summit every three years. The Summit is also the occasion when the Movement formally rotates its Chair to the Head of State of the host country of the Summit, who then holds office until the next Summit. Azerbaijan has been the Chair since 2019 and will hand over the position to Uganda in 2024 for the next three years (2024-2027).
The Government of Uganda has identified five focus areas and priority goals of its Chairship and they are; regional and international peace and security; the international fight against terrorism; international migration and humanitarian crises; human trafficking and drug smuggling; as well as Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
During the two-day Summit, Azerbaijan as the outgoing Chair of the NAM will report on the activities of the Movement during its three-year chairship. The President of the Republic of Uganda, Mr Yoweri Kagura Museveni, will be elected by acclamation as Chair of the NAM.
It is expected that the Summit will adopt the Kampala Final Outcome Document, the Kampala Declaration, and the NAM Ministerial Declaration on Palestine.
With its 120 Member States, the NAM is the largest grouping of countries outside of the UN, making it an important role player in global and multilateral affairs. Since its inception in 1961, the Movement has played a crucial and obvious political role in representing the interests of developing countries, particularly in the eradication of colonialism, supporting struggles for liberation and self-determination, the pursuit of world peace and the search for a more equitable and just global order.
Following the 19th NAM Summit, Uganda will also assume the Group of 77 (G77) Chairship and host the G77 Third South Summit from 21 to 23 January 2024.
With the theme “Leaving No One Behind”, the Third South Summit hopes to bring a new cooperation dynamic among the 134 Member States of the Group of 77 in a more competitive world. The Summit is aimed at boosting South-South cooperation including in the areas of trade, investment, sustainable development, climate change, poverty eradication, and digital economy.
The South Summit is the supreme decision-making body of the Group of 77 plus China. The Group of 77 plus China is the largest negotiating bloc of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.
South-South cooperation remains an important pillar for strengthening the economic independence of countries of the South as a complement and not a replacement to North-South cooperation. South Africa participates in the work of the G77 to ensure its strength, unity and cohesion in pursuit of the vision of a fair and equitable multilateral system.
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor will accompany and represent President Ramaphosa at the G77 plus China
Media enquiries:
Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President
E-mail: media@presiency.gov.za
