PM's statement at the XV Summit of the Non Aligned Movement in Egypt
I wish to begin by conveying the sense of strong affinity and solidarity of thepeople of India for the people of Egypt and the Arab world. I congratulate HisExcellency President Hosni Mubarak on his assuming the chairmanship of theNon-aligned Movement. Mr. Chairman, we know that your profound wisdom and ableguidance will take our Movement forward. You will have India’s fullestsupport.
I also wish to express our deep appreciation to His Excellency President RaulCastro of Cuba for his leadership of NAM over the last three years.
Meeting as we do on Arab soil, my thoughts turn to the people of Palestine, whohave endured great suffering and hardship. Our Movement must do more tofacilitate a comprehensive, just, lasting and peaceful settlement of thePalestinian issue.
The Nonaligned Movement owes a great deal to the visionary zeal of its foundingfathers like President Tito, Pandit Nehru, President Nasser and also those whocarried this vision forward like President Fidel Castro and Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
At the first NAM Conference in 1961, India’s first Prime Minister and one ofthe founding fathers of the Movement, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, and I quote,"The power of nations assembled here is not military power or economicpower, nevertheless it is power. Call it moral force". Unquote.
These words hold true even today. History has shown that non-alignment is anidea that evolves but does not fade. We must take it forward, harnessing it tomeet the challenges of today.
The Non-aligned Movement gave voice to the colonial world, leading to theirpolitical emancipation. It heralded their hope that their new found politicalfreedom would translate into economic progress and the removal of poverty,hunger and disease; that they would become active and equal participants inshaping a world order that would facilitate the realisation of their developmentobjectives. We are still far from achieving this objective.
No Non-aligned Summit has ever been held in an economic and financial crisis ofthe magnitude that now grips the world.
This crisis, the worst in living memory, emanated from the advanced industrialeconomies, but the developing economies, the members of our Movement, have beenthe hardest hit. The global recession has strengthened protectionism indeveloped country markets, drastically reduced developing country exports, andchoked credit and capital flows to the third world.
With the benefits and burdens of globalization so unfairly distributed, it willbe even harder for our economies to cope with the crisis. If the aftermath ofthe crisis is not carefully managed, and if the abundance of liquidity leads toa revival of speculative activities, we may well see a period of prolongedstagflation.
Crucially for the developing world, a continuing slowdown will force more andmore of our people back into poverty, bringing down levels of nutrition, healthand education. The progress we have made at great cost and sacrifice will bewiped out. The Millennium Development Goals will become a mirage.
The Non-aligned Movement has a great stake in ensuring that steps planned torevive the global economy take into account the concerns of the developingcountries. These include the challenges of food security, energy security, theenvironment and the reform of institutions of global governance. They areembedded in the economic crisis and must be dealt with comprehensively and witha sense of urgency. We have a crucial stake in a rule based multilateral tradingsystem and in an early conclusion of a balanced and fair agreement in the Doharound.
The systems of global governance have not kept pace either with the growinginterdependence of nations or with contemporary realities. Though we have aglobal economy of sorts, the global polity does not represent the hopes, fearsand aspirations of the majority of the world’s people. The relevance of NAMhas, hence, never been greater than today. Cooperation, trade and investmentamong our countries can contribute significantly to reviving the world economy.
Decision-making processes, whether in the United Nations or the internationalfinancial institutions continue to be based on charters written more than sixtyyears ago, though the world has changed greatly since then.
Developing countries must be fully represented in the decision-making levels ofinternational institutions if they are to remain effective and have thelegitimacy they need to play their role in an increasingly integrated world.
Our planet is threatened by the accumulation of greenhouse gases resulting fromover two centuries of industrial activity and unsustainable lifestyles in thedeveloped world. Any equitable solution to the problem of climate change shouldacknowledge this historical responsibility.
Developing countries are the worst affected by climate change. They have thebiggest stake in ensuring the success of global efforts to tackle climatechange. We recognize more than anyone else our obligation to preserve andprotect the environment. We are already making our own significant contributionsin this regard, but climate change action must not perpetuate the poverty of thedeveloping countries.
The weight of NAM should be used to achieve a comprehensive, balanced and aboveall, equitable outcome in the ongoing multilateral negotiations, leading up tothe Copenhagen Conference in December this year.
Nowhere are the challenges humankind faces more pressing than in the continentof Africa. NAM should work to give Africa’s problems, and equally itsprospects, pre-eminence in the global development agenda. Making Africa anactive participant in global economic processes is a moral imperative. It alsomakes good economic sense.
India is committed to develop a comprehensive partnership with Africa. As afirst step, we held the first India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi in 2008. Weare ready to work with other NAM countries to enhance our partnership in areasthat are of priority to Africa.
The youth constitute an overwhelming proportion of many of our populations. Ifwe can impart skills to our youth and create productive jobs for them, thedeveloping world can become a major source of future global economic growth. Thechallenge before us is to make the poor of the world more skilled and morebankable. NAM itself can pioneer an initiative in this regard and India will beready to participate in it.
The diversity of our membership is our greatest strength. We respect eachother’s paths to development, distinct cultural traditions and nationalpriorities. Extremism, intolerance and terrorism are our antitheses; they seekto destroy us and our Movement.
In recent years, terrorist groups have become more sophisticated, more organizedand more daring. Terrorists and those who aid and abet them must be brought tojustice. The infrastructure of terrorism must be dismantled and there should beno safe havens for terrorists because they do not represent any cause, group orreligion. It is time that we agree on a Comprehensive Convention onInternational Terrorism.
The Non-aligned Movement was formed to try to save the world from a politicaland military rivalry that threatened to destroy it. We fought against theinjustice of colonialism, and the arrogance of the Cold War. Our Movement made asignificant contribution to widening circles of cooperation, peace and stabilityin the world. Our voice was heard with respect.
The world has changed and the challenges have grown more complex. The moralforce that Pandit Nehru spoke of was a force that came from the power of ideasand from an abiding faith in the principles of justice and reason. How we canexercise this force for the collective good of humanity is what the Movementmust deliberate upon. We look forward, Mr. Chairman, to your leadership, as weseek to fashion a contemporary and compelling vision for the Non-alignedMovement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.