The Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement has the honour to present this Report to the Ministerial Meeting of the Movement, convened in the context of the 57th Session of the General Assembly (UNGA57) in New York, September 2002. The activities of the Movement featured in this Report cover the period from the Ministerial Meeting of the Co-ordinating Bureau, held in Durban, South Africa, 28-29 April 2002, to the present.

Five months ago, as we gathered in Durban, we had time to informally reflect on the future role of the Movement. In our discussions in the Round-tables we agreed that the Movement is today faced with a situation that is fundamentally different to the international environment forty years ago. We also came to the conclusion that the Movement's ideal of international co-operation, free of conditions, has not yet been realised, while world peace and development have also not been achieved.

Our ability to impact on these events therefore remains a priority that must receive our continued attention. Through the Round-tables in Durban and other consultations, we have started to engage in a process of self-evaluation in order to remain effective and relevant in the changed global environment.

Our ongoing consultations will be aimed at the formulation of realistic and achievable objectives, in conformity with changes in the international situation, so that the Movement will be able to respond effectively and expeditiously to the challenges raised in the new millennium. We will remain seized with this process in the months preceding the XIII Summit and beyond.

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ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE CHAIR OF THE COORDINATING BUREAU 

Following the Ministerial Meeting of the Co-ordinating Bureau, the Chair of the CoB convened a meeting of the Bureau at Ambassadorial level to brief NAM Member States on the outcome of the NAM Ministerial Meeting held in Durban. The Chair also informed the meeting that the government of Malaysia would host the XIII Summit of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement from 20-25 February 2003. 

The Chair of the Co-ordinating Bureau was invited to the meeting of the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, held in Rabat, Morocco, from 24-26 June 2002. The Chair delivered a statement on behalf of the Movement. 

MEETINGS OF THE CO-ORDINATING BUREAU 

The CoB met in preparation for the Ministerial Meeting in the context of UNGA57, to consider and approve preparations for the ministerial events of the NAM during this session. The CoB also considered and approved the Provisional Agenda for the Annual Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation and the draft Declaration for the latter.

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ACTIVITIES OF THE NAM WORKING GROUPS AND COMMITTEES 

Working Group on the Restructuring of the Security Council 

During the period of the current report no new proposals, particularly affecting NAM positions regarding the restructuring of the UN Security Council, were raised in the deliberations at the United Nations. Consequently, no formal meeting of the Working Group on the Restructuring of the Security Council was convened. 

The Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and increase in the Membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council (OEWG), held its annual session from March to July 2002. The delegations from the NAM Chair (South Africa) and the co-ordinator of the NAM Working Group on the restructuring of the Security Council (Egypt) maintained close contact and co-ordinated their effort in the OEWG to defend and to promote the common NAM positions. 

Working Group on Disarmament 

The Working Group on Disarmament, under the co-ordination of Indonesia, convened in order to prepare and consolidate the positions of the Movement for the 57^th Session of the UN General Assembly. The Working Group also started to prepare a number of traditional NAM resolutions to be tabled during UNGA57, including a new resolution on the promotion of multilateralism in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. 

Working Group on Sixth Committee Matters 

During the Tenth and final Session of the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court, the Working Group on Sixth Committee Matters, co-ordinated by the Chair, considered a proposal to ensure the continuation of work in respect of the Crime of Aggression in the context of the Assembly of States Parties. The proposal calls for the establishment of a special working group of the Assembly of States Parties to continue the elaboration of proposals for a provision on aggression, including the definition and elements of crimes as well as the conditions under which the International Criminal Court shall exercise its jurisdiction with regard to this crime. The special working group would be required to submit proposals to the Assembly of States Parties at a Review Conference with a view to arriving at an acceptable provision on the Crime of Aggression to be included in the Statute. This proposal was accepted by the Preparatory Commission in the form of a draft resolution to be submitted in the Assembly of the States Parties for adoption.

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NON-ALIGNED SECURITY COUNCIL CAUCUS 

In accordance with the Methodology of NAM, the Chair of the Co-ordinating Bureau continued to maintain close co-operation with the NAM Security Council Caucus members. Most recently the Chair met with members of the Caucus to review developments in both the Middle East and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The respective co-ordinators of the NAM Security Council Caucus also periodically briefed the Co-ordinating Bureau on the various issues of importance on the agenda of the UN Security Council that the Caucus remained seized with.

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Pursuant to the mandate to promote dialogue with the developed countries, so as to reach better understanding and to respond more positively to the development aspirations of the developing countries, the Chair of the NAM conveyed a message to the incumbent President of the Group of Eight (G8) on the eve of the Kananaskis Summit of the G8. In the message the G8 was encouraged to reach beyond the confines of the developed world and address, in a more inclusive and equitable partnership than has been possible to date, the very real challenges of globalisation. The necessity of international co-operation, relying on equal dialogue and a partnership based on mutual interests and benefits, was stressed.

The NAM Troika also met with the EU Troika on the margins of the General Debate of UNGA57. Following consultations with the membership and the EU Presidency the agenda dealt with development issues including the follow-up of FfD and WSSD, the Middle East, implementation issues on trade matters, UN reforms and combating terrorism. The discussions were frank and productive.

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Palestine 

a) Follow-up of Mandates 

Pursuant to the mandate received from the meeting of the Committee on Palestine in Durban, April 2002, Minister Dlamini Zuma, in her capacity as Chair of NAM at Ministerial level, headed a NAM Ministerial delegation to Ramallah in an expression of solidarity with President Arafat and the people of Palestine. The Ministerial delegation was comprised of the Minister of State of India, the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Secretary- General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jordan. 

As a follow-up of the mandate the Chair received from the Committee on Palestine meeting held in Pretoria, May 2001, to interact with forces influential in the Middle East conflict, and pursuant to the Spier consultations, the South African Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with representatives of several European countries holding leadership positions at the moment. The consultations were aimed at achieving a durable and comprehensive peace, which will enable the Palestinian peoples to exercise their inalienable rights in freedom and sovereignty in an independent homeland. 

b) General Assembly: 

On 7 May 2002, the Chair of the CoB participated in a meeting of the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on "The Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory", which was resumed in response to Israel’s refusal to comply with the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1405. The debate, which was convened at the request of Sudan (on behalf of the Arab Group) and South Africa (on behalf of the NAM), focused on Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people. The Chair of the NAM CoB, and other speakers expressed dismay at the inability of the Security Council to enforce its resolutions against Israel. 

Following the continued crisis in the Middle East, the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly reconvened again on 5 August 2002, in response to a request by Oman (on behalf of the Arab Group) and South Africa (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement). The Chair of the NAM CoB and a large number of NAM Members participated in the debate focusing on the Secretary-General’s Report on the Jenin incident and Israel’s failure to co-operate during the drafting of the Report. 

c) Security Council: 

On 13 June 2002, the Chair of the CoB made a statement in the open debate of the UNSC condemning Israel’s military incursions and expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. 

The Chair of the CoB also participated in a Security Council open debate held on 24 July 2002. The statement on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement condemned all acts of violence, but also questioned the use of sophisticated weapons to eliminate individual suspects, killing innocent civilians, including children in the process.