1. South Africa as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), has since the Twelfth Summit of Heads of State or Government undertaken a number of actions in the fulfilment of the mandates of that Summit. This includes a statement in the General Debate of the 54^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly by President Nelson Mandela, in which he also reported on the outcome of the XII NAM Summit. President Mandela also addressed the Council of the South Centre. South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. AB Nzo also participated as the Chair of NAM in the Ministerial Meetings of the Group of 77 & China and of the Least Developed Countries.

2. In November 1998 President Nelson Mandela, in his capacity as Chair of the NAM addressed a statement to the meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People at the United Nations in New York. The Chair of the Coordinating Bureau in New York read out the statement.

3. In accordance with the mandate of the XII Summit on enhancing dialogue with the developed countries, former President Mandela, in his capacity as Chair of the NAM wrote a letter to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of the Federal Republic of Germany, in his capacity as Chair of the Group of Eight Industrialized Countries (G8), on the eve of the Cologne G8 Summit in which he outlined the views of the NAM on the various issues of importance to developing countries.

4. The above letter was delivered by the NAM Troika of Foreign Ministers, during a meeting between the Troika and all Foreign Ministers of the G8 member countries during which a fruitful exchange of ideas took place on issues of importance to the international community. The Chairman of the G77 and China formed part of the delegation of the NAM Troika of Foreign Ministers. The meeting was followed by a joint communique which acknowledged the need and usefulness of regular interaction between the NAM and the G8.

5. South Africa's former Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a statement, on behalf of the NAM, at the High Level Conference on Sub-regional and Regional Economic Cooperation of the Group of 77 & China, which was hosted by the Government of Indonesia in Bali from 2 - 5 December 1998.

6. In April 1999, a South African delegation, in its capacity as Chair of the NAM participated and delivered a statement on behalf of the NAM at a UN African Meeting in Support of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, held in Windhoek, Namibia from 20-22 April 1999.

7. In June 1999 a South African delegation, in its capacity as Chair of the NAM, participated in a United Nations International Conference on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, held in Cairo, Egypt. The delegation delivered a statement on behalf of the Movement reiterating its long-standing positions on this matter.

8. Since the XII Summit the Coordinating Bureau of the NAM in New York continued to meet on a monthly basis and in extraordinary sessions in order to implement the decisions and coordinate the activities of the Movement as well as to coordinate the activities of the various working mechanisms. The meetings of the Bureau were also utilised to discuss topical issues and to receive the reports of the working groups. The Chair also provided regular reports of its activities at these meetings.

9. In line with the Cartagena Document on Methodology, the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau held regular meetings with the members of the NAM Security Council Caucus. These meetings facilitate closer coordination between the Coordinating Bureau and the Caucus so that the two bodies serve to mutually reinforce one another on issues of importance to the NAM, and will strengthen, in overall, the voice of non-permanent members in the UN Security Council.

10. In October 1998 the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau addressed a letter to the Chair of the Credentials Committee of the 53^rd Session of the UN General Assembly in which the NAM position on Israeli credentials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem is reiterated.

11. At the request of the Arab Group, the Bureau met in January 1999 to discuss the Group's request for the support of the NAM for the resumption of the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly to consider the agenda item "Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian Territory". In this regard, a letter on behalf of NAM, and supporting the request of the Arab League, was subsequently forwarded in January 1999 to the Acting President of the Assembly.

12. In February 1999, the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau addressed the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on the agenda item "Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian Territory" on behalf of the NAM expressing its support for the convening of a Conference of High Contracting Parties on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.

13. In April 1999, the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau addressed a letter to the Swiss Permanent Observer in New York to convey to the Swiss Government, as the Depository State of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Movement's views and recommendations regarding preparations for the convening of the Conference of High Contracting Parties on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem.

14. In responding to the crisis in Kosovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau issued a statement in April 1999 on behalf of the Movement. Additional steps undertaken by the Movement included, upon the recommendation of the Bureau, meetings between the NAM Troika and both the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council. The objectives of these meetings were to ascertain what steps the United Nations intended to take to bring that conflict to a speedy end.

<<Back to Top>>

Activities of the NAM Working Mechanisms 

15. The Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) of the NAM and the Group of 77 & China had several meetings to discuss issues of common concern for the two groupings. The major focus of these meetings was the formulation of positions of developing countries regarding the Millennium Summit and Assembly of the United Nations to be held in 2000. In this regard, the JCC adopted a position concerning the theme and the subtopics for the Summit. These were presented to the General Assembly's Informal Open-Ended Consultations of the Plenary and recorded in the Ministerial Communique for the 54^th Session.

16. The NAM working groups met frequently in the framework of the 53rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in order implement the mandates of the XII Summit in relation to the various items under consideration of the Assembly.

17. The NAM Working Group on Human Rights, chaired by Malaysia, continued to initiate draft resolutions in the Third Committee on the thematic issues of Enhancement of International Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights; Human Rights and Unilateral Coercive Measures; and Right to Development. The Third Committee again adopted the NAM draft resolution on the Enhancement of International Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights by consensus. The adoption of this draft resolution by consensus served to indicate the international community's reaffirmation that international cooperation is important in our efforts to promote and protect human rights. In addition to these three issues, the Working Group also deliberated on the draft resolution entitled "Comprehensive Implementation of and Follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action." The NAM position had been taken on board fully and incorporated in the draft resolution adopted by the Third Committee on 20 November 1998 by consensus.

18. The NAM Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations, chaired by Jordan, made a number of proposals to the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations which were virtually all adopted by the Committee. The most significant among these was the proposal aimed at improving the manner with which the General Assembly deals with item on peacekeeping. As a result the role of the Special Committee would be enhanced. The Working Group also ensured that the main positions of the NAM on peacekeeping matters were addressed in the 1999 Report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. Apart from its activities in the Special Committee, the Working Group also interacted with the UN Secretariat regarding new developments in the field of peacekeeping, including articulating the views of the Movement on the Secretary-General's proposed guidelines on the observance by UN forces of International Humanitarian Law.

19. In the course of the 53^rd Session of the UN General Assembly the NAM Working Group on Disarmament, chaired by Indonesia, prepared several draft resolutions, which were submitted by South Africa on behalf of the Movement. These include "Measures to uphold the authority of the 1925 Geneva Protocol", "United Nations Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament", "Observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control and "Relationship between disarmament and development". The draft resolution entitled "Convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament" was adopted without a vote. During the Third Prepcom Session of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, members of the Movement who are parties to the NPT submitted a working paper, prepared by the Working Group, outlining the position of the Movement on various NPT-related issues and containing proposals and recommendations which sought to contribute to and facilitate the preparatory process for the forthcoming Review Conference.

20. The NAM Working Group on Sixth Committee Matters, chaired by Zimbabwe, met during the 53rd Session to consider and formulate common positions on the draft Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and the Draft Convention on the Financing of Terrorism. The working group further considered issues related to the establishment of the International Criminal Court and appointed a coordinator on the issue of the crime of aggression.

21. South Africa chaired the NAM Committee on Palestine to prepare for the Movement's participation for the Conference of High Contracting Parties on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in Occupied Palestinian Territory , including Jerusalem.

22. In accordance with the mandate of the XII Summit, the Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau established a working group in March 1999 with the task of formulating a Plan of Action for the NAM. The working group held several meetings since March and was able to make significant progress in drafting of the Plan of Action. The draft plan of action will be submitted to a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Methodology for final adoption.

North-South Dialogue 

22. The NAM Troika of Foreign Ministers met with the Troika of Foreign Ministers of the European Union in the context of the 53^rd Session of the UN General Assembly. The two groupings exchanged views on issues under consideration of the General Assembly. The NAM Troika also met with the Secretary of State of the United States of America at her request.

<<Back to Top>>

Economic Agenda of the South 

24. In terms of paragraph 31 of the Final Document of the XII Summit, the Heads of State or Government mandated South Africa, as Chair of the NAM, to carry out consultations with Member States (including through the CoB in New York), members of the NAM Ad Hoc Panel of Economists and other relevant experts, to develop a proposal, including practical steps to devise a precise economic agenda for the South. 

25. In order to give effect to this mandate, South Africa initiated a number of actions, which include the following: 

• In February, President Mandela wrote to all his counterparts in the Movement, requesting their views on the matter. 

• In May, South Africa informed members of the Coordinating Bureau that the official transcript of the Ministerial Roundtable discussion on the Report by the NAM Ad Hoc Panel of Economists, held at the XII NAM Summit in Durban, has been placed on the NAM internet website and also reminded member countries to submit their inputs to the formulation of an Economic Agenda. 

• The Chair also wrote to the heads of UNCTAD, the IMF and the World Bank concerning the availability of studies and reports on the global financial crises.

26. In December 1998, the Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau issued a statement on behalf of the Movement in which it expressed its condemnation of the military airstrikes by the United Kingdom and the United States against Iraq.

27. In June 1999, the Chairman of the Coordinating Bureau, acting on behalf of the NAM, sent a letter to the President of the Security Council which voiced the support of the Movement for the total lifting of sanctions against Libya.

28. The Chair of the Coordinating Bureau in New York issued a statement on behalf of the NAM expressing the Movement's condemnation of the hostage taking of civilians by a guerrilla movement in Colombia.