22 January 2024 17:38

On 15-20 January 2024, the 19th Summit Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in Kampala, the capital of the Republic of Uganda. At the Summit Meeting, the Republic of Azerbaijan was represented by a delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov.

Nearly 120 NAM member and observer states, as well as high-level officials of international organizations, participated in the Summit Meeting. As special guests, the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, the President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly Dennis Francis, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, and other officials attended the event and delivered statements. A statement was also delivered at the meeting by the representative of Uganda of the NAM Youth Organization headquartered in Azerbaijan.

In accordance with the agenda of the Summit Meeting, a video reflecting the activities and initiatives of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ilham Aliyev, as the Chair of NAM was presented, and thereafter the address of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov on the results of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Movement was heard.

The NAM member states and representatives of international organizations participating in the event, including the President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, appreciated Azerbaijan’s successful 4-year chairmanship of the Movement and expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In the statements, it was noted that despite the fact that a significant part of our chairmanship coincided with the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan not only successfully fulfilled this responsibility, but also further strengthened the Movement and contributed to its institutionalization through the relevant initiatives and platforms put forward.

Within the framework of the event, the Final Document of the 19th Summit Meeting of NAM was adopted. A number of important points for our country were reflected in the Final Document.

In the document, the Heads of State and Government of NAM member states expressed solidarity with the restoration, reconstruction and reintegration activities carried out by Azerbaijan in the territories affected by the conflict, and drew attention to the obstacles posed by the problems of unexploded ordnance and mines in these territories, calling for the provision of international assistance.

The member states expressed support for the initiative to establish the NAM Women’s Platform put forward by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and, as a first step in this direction, appreciated the conference on strengthening women’s rights of NAM held in Baku in November 2023.

The document noted that the initiative to convene a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic proposed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the capacity of the Chair of NAM, as well as the promotion of ensuring access to vaccines, created new opportunities for cooperation within the Movement.

The selection of our country to host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was unanimously welcomed by NAM member states.

The work carried out by Azerbaijan’s chairmanship towards the institutionalization of NAM, particularly the activities of the NAM Youth Organization and the Parliamentary Network, was supported by the Final Document of the Summit Meeting. The adoption, for the first time, of a resolution in the Human Rights Council calling for the adoption of a legally binding instrument on the right to development as a result of the activities of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship was highly appreciated.

During the Summit Meeting, as a result of the relevant steps taken by Azerbaijan during its chairmanship towards the expansion of the institution, South Sudan, the only non-member country from the African continent, joined the ranks of NAM members, increasing the number of members to 121.

Within the framework of the meeting, the chairmanship of NAM was handed over by Azerbaijan to Uganda, and it was brought to attention that our country will continue to spare no efforts for the development of the Movement and will continue to contribute to the activities of the institution, particularly within the framework of the NAM Troika.