Excellencies
Distinguished Heads of Delegations
Ladies and Gentlemen

We are distinctly honoured and privileged to address this distinguished gathering. Our sense of honour is derived from the knowledge and satisfaction that we are addressing the Non-Align Movement on the occasion of its fortieth Anniversary. I am also pleased to address you, hopefully, for the last time from this podium as Chair of the Movement.

Forty years ago, we together reached a determination that in the dangerous environment of the bipolarity, it was important that a neutral and non-aligned voice must be born. We agreed that this voice shall articulate the development interests of the countries of the South, would fight for the liquidation of the yoke of colonialism and work unceasingly to vanquish the apartheid crime against humanity. It would also fight for complete disarmament and the resolution of disputes among states peacefully. We can be solemnly and justly proud as a Movement that our mission has been a success so far, though major challenges remain.

Founded during the Cold War, the Non-Aligned Movement is operating in an irreversibly changed and changing environment. We must frankly and candidly admit that the NAM is at the crossroad and faced with the new geopolitical realities. Of importance therefore, is how to respond to this environment.

Excellencies

To respond, we need to ask ourselves some questions: What is NAM’s strategic orientation in the new geopolitical realities with one hegemonic power and the attendant re-alignment of forces this entail? Put simply, what is the Movement’s agenda in this new environment informed by the fundamental paradigm shift in international relations?

Can we still claim that we constitute a Movement that is the force of conscience in this changed and changing environment? To repeat a question raised by President Mbeki in 1999 "Is our Movement taking up new challenges of today or have we allowed ourselves to be transformed into an organisation comprising of global governance that periodically speak with one voice at conferences and Summits, yet act unilaterally without reference to agreed policies?"

Where is the global agenda of the Movement in response to these global economic, political and security challenges? How do we intervene strategically to ensure the promotion of the democratic system of global governments that is accompanied by equality and equity in sharing the fruits of globalisation, and in areas that deal with peace and security?

Should the progress and the forward movement of the Non-Aligned Movement hinge on the agreement and unanimity of consensus by all? Should the Movement move at the speed of the slowest? Are the mechanisms for our functioning as a Movement working?

Alternatively, is the demobilisation of the Movement a sad reflection of the demobilisation of the United Nations in this irreversibly changed and changing environment?

We need not only to examine the external environment within which the Movement operates but we also need to look internally within the Movement and from our regions.

We have raised these uncomfortable questions precisely because, together as the collective, we must reflect long and hard on them. For it is said that we must not always be comfortable with reality defined for us. We must constantly, as students of history, forever learn and work earnestly to change the order of things that are given and presented to us as absolute reality.

We must respond with speed to these questions. In this regard, we propose to have volunteers from the Movement, from our eminent scholars and intellectuals to work with the Troika and to together interrogate and examine these questions. This process will be under the Chairmanship of the Chair of our Movement, President Thabo Mbeki. Their contribution would form part of the items to be discussed in the next Ministerial Meeting to be held in South Africa. It is our hope that the Ministerial Meeting would incorporate these recommendations in their report to the Non-Aligned Movement Summit next year.

Excellencies

We all witnessed with horror the deplorable terrorist attacks against the United States recently. Let me once again reaffirm and associate South Africa with the statement of the Movement in condemning these callous acts of terrorism. Our sincere condolences go to the victims of these murderous rages in the United States and to other countries that lost their citizens.

In the same vein, let me condemn the incidents of violence, racism and anti-Arab and Islamophobic sentiments that followed these incidents in the developed countries.

The position of the Non-Aligned Movement, which has been elaborated in many of our documents previously on terrorism, is relevant in this regard. We now need to work urgently within the United Nations towards elaborating the International Convention Against Terrorism.

Accordingly, this process should be inclusive and must take on board the concerns and views of everyone. Necessarily, we must reform the United Nations and all its organs to be better able to carry out the task of dealing with terrorism as we were so cogently reminded by President Mbeki recently when he said that " This (reform of the UN) means that it needs to be efficient, effective and responsive to the needs of humanity as a whole with no one feeling superior and the other inferior".

Equally, the fight against terrorism must further energise the international community to deal with conflicts all over the world. The long-standing conflict of the Middle East, which at its core is the question of Palestine, merits our collective attention.

The people of Palestine must be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent State. It is therefore, incumbent upon all of us to send a clear and unequivocal message that the negotiations must resume now.

In our determined position to eradicate terrorism, we must deal holistically with the problems of poverty, conflicts, and equal sharing of the benefits of globalisation. This will hopefully results in a better world with the equal stake for all of us.

It is abundantly clear that while living in the world of unprecedented material wealth and abundance, billions of our people continue to live in the miserable conditions of abject poverty.

Consequently, it is necessary that we expeditiously implement the Agreements of the Millennium Declaration adopted in the Millennium Summit. The partnership and the covenant entered into between the developed and developing countries to help these billions from the pangs of hunger must be actualised immediately.

The precarious and the perennial question of the indebtedness of most of the Members of our Movement must find a sustainable solution. While the HIPC Initiatives represents a positive step, it is clear to us that it must be faster and deeper to deal with the problem of indebtedness. There is also a need to deal with the problems of ODA and FDI.

The International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Mexico next year must put emphasis and priority on addressing the question of financing our development. The World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in South Africa next presents us yet with another opportunity to firmly put on the agenda the question of Sustainable Development.

The World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held in South Africa recently has taken far-reaching decisions on rolling back the frontiers of racism. The global struggle against racism must result in a world where no one would feel humiliated and his or her dignity undermined.

Africa too has taken the far-sighted and far-reaching decision to transform their continental organisation namely the Organisation of African Unity into the African Union in order to be better positioned to take advantage of the changing world. Additionally, the adoption recently of the New Partnership for African Development by Africans must be help uplift the continent of Africa from the saddening conditions of underdevelopment.

Excellencies

As the Movement celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year we have included the Special Declaration on our 40^th Birthday to mark this special occasion. This has been a forty years of unity and loyalty to the Principles. Our Movement is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds from the 25 Members in 1961 to 113 this year.

In this respect, I am happy to announce that I have received a letter from the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, applying for the Observer Status within the Movement. In line with the recommendation of our Bureau, I propose that we accept the request.

We wish to thank the COB for the sterling job of co-ordinating our various positions in the Committees of the UN. Our close co-operation with the Group of 77 through the Joint Co-ordinating Committee must continue to positively represent the interests of all developing countries.