Sixty-five years after Belgrade hosted the founding gathering of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), senior representatives from across the Global South returned to the Serbian capital Tuesday to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, sovereign equality and international law amid rising global tensions.
More than 30 delegations attended the commemorative meeting at the Palace of Serbia. Those taking part included representatives of NAM’s current leadership Troika — Azerbaijan, Uganda and Uzbekistan — alongside countries with longstanding links to the movement.
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The meeting opened with addresses by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, who spoke on behalf of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, as Uganda currently chairs NAM.
Vucic presented NAM as a key pillar of multilateralism and cautioned against what he characterized as selective interpretations of international law.
Speaking for Museveni, Alupo said NAM was created in response to the rigid ideological divisions and polarization of the Cold War. She argued that the movement’s founding principles remain relevant to independent, balanced cooperation among nations.
She called NAM “the correct response by sections of the people of the world to the narrow-mindedness that had emerged.”
Representatives from Africa, Asia and Latin America echoed calls for strategic autonomy and deeper cooperation among Global South countries.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama advocated “positive neutrality” and more active diplomacy. He urged Global South nations to convert their combined influence into tangible diplomatic outcomes instead of choosing sides between rival power blocs.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pointed to South-South cooperation and multilateralism as important tools for confronting cross-border challenges, including terrorism and climate vulnerability.
Among the other participants were Angolan Foreign Minister Tete Antonio, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa, Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Cuban First Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Penalver Portal.
The gathering marked 65 years since the first NAM conference, held in Belgrade from Sept. 1 to 6, 1961. The meeting brought together leaders determined to maintain independence from the two competing Cold War blocs.
Serbia is not a NAM member but holds observer status. It has worked to preserve the diplomatic legacy of the 1961 conference while maintaining ties with countries across the Global South.
