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Report on the
Activities of the Non-Aligned Movement since the XII Summit held in 1998 in Durban, which
South Africa, in its capacity as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, presented to the XIII
NAM Ministerial Conference, 7 - 9 April 2000 in Cartagena, Colombia
FOREWORD
The Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement has the honour to
present its Report to the XIII Ministerial Conference of the NAM, held in Cartagena,
Colombia from 8-9 April 2000. The activities of the Movement featured in this report cover
the period from the XII Conference of Heads of State or Government, held in Durban, South
Africa from 2-3 September 1998, to the present.
The XII Summit took place on the eve of a new century
permitting our Movement to truly reflect on the many challenges facing developing
countries in the new era. Much has happened in the last eighteen months in terms of the
work of our Movement which has enabled the Movement to continue to defend the interests
and principles of the collective membership.
We have now entered the new century, the beginning of which
will be marked by a number of intergovernmental meetings which are of vital importance to
the countries of our Movement and the South in general. In this regard, the South Summit
and Millennium Summit are central to the historic opportunity to decisively redefine the
political, economic and social parameters of international society for the next century.
We must therefore enhance our solidarity and unity in order to ensure that our interests
and aspirations form a vital part of that framework.
Our ability to impact on these processes no doubt depends
on our effectiveness as a Movement. The Chair has actively engaged the membership on this
crucial issue in the last few months. We must regard the beginning of the new century as a
necessary impetus for us to make an inner reflection of our Movement’s weaknesses and
strengths.
In presenting this report the Chair wishes to express its
profound gratitude and appreciation to the Government and Peoples of Colombia for hosting
the XIII Ministerial Conference in the beautiful and historic city of Cartagena De Indias.
ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE CHAIR
Following the XII Summit of the Non-Aligned
Movement, held in Durban, South Africa, from 2-5 September 1998, the Chair of the
Movement, President Nelson R. Mandela, reported on the outcomes of the Summit in his
address to the 53rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In 1999, the Chair, President Thabo Mbeki,
addressed the 54th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. President Mbeki also
delivered the opening statement of the Annual Meeting of NAM Ministers of Foreign Affairs,
which took place on 23 September 1999 in New York.
In 1998 and 1999 the Chair transmitted a
statement to the meeting commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the
Palestinian People at the United Nations in New York; which was delivered by the Chair of
the Coordinating Bureau in New York, and the South African Permanent Representative in
Geneva.
Pursuant to the mandate of the XII NAM
Summit to enhance dialogue with developed countries, the Chair of the Movement, President
Mandela, wrote to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, Chair of the Group of Eight
Industrialized Countries, on the eve of the Cologne G8 Summit of 1999. President Mandela
outlined the views of the NAM on issues of importance to developing countries, with a
particular emphasis on the views and concerns of developing countries on globalisation,
external debt and international trade.
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MEETINGS OF THE MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND HEADS OF DELEGATION DURING THE
53RD AND 54TH SESSIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
On 24 September 1998, the Ministers for
Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of the NAM met in New York to discuss issues of
importance to the Movement at the 53rd Session of the General Assembly. The
Chair issued a statement reaffirming Members' commitment to the decisions adopted at the
XII Summit.
On 23rd September 1999, the Ministers for
Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation of the NAM met in New York to discuss the 54th
Session of the General Assembly. The Ministers issued a Communiqué reflecting NAM
positions with regard to the Agenda of the 54th Session of the General
Assembly. The Meeting endorsed unanimously the application for membership in the Movement
of the Dominican Republic.
ACTIVITIES OF THE NAM COORDINATING BUREAU
Since the XII NAM Summit, the NAM
Coordinating Bureau in New York has held Monthly Meetings, and Extraordinary Meetings when
necessary, in order to implement the decisions of the Summit, and to coordinate the
activities of the Movement in the United Nations. Meetings of the Bureau were also
utilised to discuss topical issues and to receive reports of the NAM Working Groups. The
Chair provided regular reports of its activities at these meetings.
In the period covered by this report, the
Coordinating Bureau addressed a number of additional important issues in Monthly or
Extraordinary Meetings in New York, such as the crisis in Kosovo; the resumption of the
General Assembly's Tenth Emergency Special Session on the Illegal Israeli activities in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory; humanitarian interventions; the status of the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in the United Nations, and methodology issues.
On 2 March 1999 an Extraordinary meeting of
the Coordinating Bureau was convened to receive a briefing from Louise Arbour, Chief
Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
In March and April 1999, Monthly and
Extraordinary Meetings of the Coordinating Bureau were convened to discuss and respond to
the crisis in Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
In its Monthly Meetings of 28 October and 1
December 1999, the Coordinating Bureau discussed the concept of humanitarian intervention,
which, following the UN Secretary-General’s statement to the General Debate of 54th
Session of the General Assembly, had been a subject of discussion at the September 1999
NAM Ministerial meeting, and in NAM Members' statements to the General Assembly. In the
Coordinating Bureau, Members agreed that there had been no consistent application of the
concept historically, and that it was not clearly defined. Members agreed that the NAM
should further discuss the issue in the Coordinating Bureau in order to reconcile Members'
views on the issue. At the request of the Coordinating Bureau, the Chair held a
preliminary meeting with the President of the General Assembly in November 1999 to discuss
possible mechanisms to carry the debate forward. The Coordinating Bureau remains seized of
this matter.
The NAM Coordinating Bureau held an
Extraordinary Meeting on 8 and 9 December 1999, at which the Members discussed a draft
General Assembly resolution on the status of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) at
the United Nations. The Coordinating Bureau remains seized of the matter.
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An Extraordinary Meeting of the NAM
Coordinating Bureau was held on 14 March 2000 to discuss the framework for a future
Ministerial discussion on methodology. The Coordinating Bureau reaffirmed the importance
of implementing and strengthening the methodology guidelines of the Movement as contained
in the 1996 Cartagena Document on Methodology, and emphasised the role of the Document in
promoting coordination and unity in the Movement.
The Coordinating Bureau recommended that the Ministerial Conference convene a Meeting
of the Ministerial Committee on Methodology in New York, in September 2000.
The Coordinating Bureau identified the following issues for the agenda of the proposed
September 2000 meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Methodology:
- the adoption of the NAM Plan of Action;
- the coordination of NAM positions on issues of common
concern at the United Nations;
- the status of Observers and Guests in NAM working mechanisms
and meetings; and
- coordination between the Coordinating Bureau and the
Non-Aligned Security Council Caucus.
If the Ministers so decide during the current Ministerial
Conference, the Coordinating Bureau will convene in New York to further discuss
preparations for the proposed Ministerial Committee on Methodology.
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ACTIVITIES OF THE NAM WORKING GROUPS AND COMMITTEES
NAM Working Group on Disarmament
The Working Group on Disarmament, chaired by the Permanent Mission of Indonesia, promoted
common NAM positions on a number of disarmament issues dealt with in New York, and drafted
a number of First Committee resolutions for adoption at the 53rd and 54th Sessions of the
General Assembly. South Africa introduced the resolutions on behalf of the Movement.
Whilst the resolution on the convening of the Fourth Special General Assembly Session on
Disarmament (SSOD IV) was adopted without a vote at the 53rd session, the 1999 UN
Disarmament Commission failed to reach consensus on the agenda and objectives of the SSOD
IV, thereby terminating its mandate on this topic. The 54th General Assembly, however,
requested the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States and to report to the
55th General Assembly on the objectives, agenda and timing of the SSOD IV.
Members of the Working Group, States parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), submitted to the 2nd PrepCom of the 2000 NPT Review Conference a Working Paper
addressing organisational matters in preparation for the Review Conference. As a result of
the common NAM position, the 3rd PrepCom made specific time available for discussions on,
and consideration of, proposals on nuclear disarmament as well as the resolution on the
Middle East. The NAM State Parties to the Treaty also proposed the establishment of
subsidiary bodies to Main Committees I and II of the Review Conference to consider these
two topics.
The Working Group also prepared a NAM statement for the 1st PrepCom for the 2001 UN
Conference on Illicit Traffic in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects. The
statement focused primarily on organisational matters related to the Conference and its
preparatory process and proposed that future meetings of the PrepCom and the Conference be
held in venues that afford effective participation by all Members States, in particular
those with limited representation. The statement proposed that candidatures from states
most affected by small arms and light weapons be taken into account when considering the
Chair of the Conference.
NAM Working Group on Peacekeeping
Operations
In the period under review the NAM Working Group on Peacekeeping played an important role
in ensuring that the positions of the Movement on United Nations peacekeeping operations
were adequately articulated. Jordan, in its capacity as Chair of the Working Group
presented these statements on behalf of the Movement in the annual sessions of the Special
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations as well as in the Fourth Committee of the General
Assembly during its consideration of the agenda item entitled " Comprehensive Review
of the Whole Question of Peacekeeping in all their Aspects".
In the same period, the NAM Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations actively participated
in negotiations held in the annual sessions of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping
Operations that lead to the adoption of a report containing the Committee's proposals,
recommendations and conclusions on United Nations peacekeeping operations. Following an
initiative of the NAM Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations during the 54th session of
the GA, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations adopted a working procedure that
would result in closer consultation with the Secretariat and also enable the work of the
Committee to be more efficient.
In the past year the Working Group also managed to raise the Movement's concerns on three
aspects. The first relates to the inadequate procedures undertaken by the Secretariat in
the issuance of guidelines on the observance by the United Nations Forces of International
Humanitarian Law. The second is the manner in which the Secretariat had initially selected
police personnel from NAM countries for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The third
concerns the SHIRBRIG initiative and the Working Group's efforts to explain fully the
Movement's position to the authors of the initiative.
In the meantime, the United Nations has continued to surge ahead in the deployment of new
operations in the field which, while not conforming to the traditional character of
peacekeeping operations, have nevertheless been referred to by the Security Council and
the Secretariat as "peacekeeping missions", or as the United Nations has taken
to calling them: "peace support operations". The NAM Working Group on
Peacekeeping Operations will convene in New York to review and discuss this trend in
detail with a view to taking stock of the latest developments, and ensuring that the
Movement maintains an overall uniform position on UN peacekeeping.
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NAM Working Group on Human Rights
During the 53rd session of the UN General Assembly, the NAM Working Group on Human Rights,
under the Chair of Malaysia, considered various human rights reports and resolutions of
the Third Committee, which were agenda items of the 53rd Session, such as the Right to
Development resolution. Progress was made in respect of finding a common understanding for
NAM on some of these issues.
During the 54th Session, South Africa took over as Chair of the Working Group on an
interim basis. Consultations to identify a new Chair are ongoing.
The Working Group met on a number of occasions to consider three draft resolutions on the
Agenda of the 54th Session, namely: the Right to Development; Unilateral Coercive
Measures, and the Enhancement of International Co-operation in the Field of Human Rights.
NAM Working Group on Sixth Committee
Matters
The NAM Working Group on Sixth Committee matters, Chaired by Zimbabwe, met several times
during the 54th Session to consider and formulate common positions on the draft
International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and the draft
International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. The successful
conclusion and adoption by the General Assembly of the latter Convention can to a large
degree be attributed to the efforts of NAM Member States. The impasse between NAM and
Nuclear Weapons States on the scope of application of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention
remains unresolved, and efforts to find a solution to this outstanding issue before the
Convention can be adopted will continue.
The Working Group further met to consider issues regarding the convening of a high-level
conference under the auspices of the United Nations to formulate a joint organized
response by the international community to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations
as well as the elaboration of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
Consideration of both these NAM initiatives will commence during the 55th Session of the
General Assembly.
The Working Group also considered issues related to the establishment of the International
Criminal Court and, at the insistence of NAM Member States, a Working Group of the
Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court was established under the
chairmanship of Tanzania, to consider the definition of the Crime of Aggression with a
view to its eventual inclusion in the Statute of the Court.
The NAM Working Group further met to consider the draft resolutions on measures to
eliminate international terrorism and to consider a draft statement presented on behalf of
NAM to the General Assembly during the closing of the United Nations Decade of
International Law.
Committee on Palestine
A series of open-ended meetings of the NAM Committee on Palestine, Chaired by the
Permanent Mission of South Africa, were convened in New York from May to July 1999 to
prepare for the Movement's participation in the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention, held in Geneva on 15 July 1999.
NAM Working Group on the Reform of the
Security Council
During the 53rd and 54th Sessions, the NAM Working Group on Security Council Reform,
chaired by Egypt, continued to promote reforms aimed at making the Council more
representative, more democratic, and more capable of fulfilling its obligations under the
UN Charter.
In promoting reforms to enhance the Council's legitimacy and credibility, the NAM Working
Group has primarily focused on those reform aspects that enjoy overwhelming support among
the UN membership. These include reforms to enhance the transparency of the working
methods and decision-making of the Council (Cluster II issues), and curtailing the use of
the veto to actions taken under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, with a view to the eventual
elimination of the veto privilege.
There has been less progress in the Open-ended Working Group on the question of expansion
(Cluster I issues), and all proposals remain on the table.
In November 1998, the General Assembly adopted by consensus resolution 53/30, in
conformity with the provisions of article 108 of the UN Charter, regarding the majority
required for the adoption of any resolution or decision on Security Council reform.
During the 55th Session, the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau will urge the Working Group
to continue to promote the NAM positions on Council reform as articulated in the Durban
Summit Document, with a view to promoting both reform and expansion of the Council as
integral parts of a common reform package.
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NON-ALIGNED SECURITY COUNCIL CAUCUS
During 1999, the Chair of the Coordinating
Bureau held a series of meetings with Members of the NAM Security Council Caucus. The
Chair and Caucus Members reaffirmed the need for the Chair to meet regularly with the
Caucus and/or the Monthly Coordinator of the Caucus. They also reaffirmed the need for the
Monthly Coordinator of the Caucus to periodically brief the Coordinating Bureau on
important developments in the Security Council. The Coordinating Bureau has proposed
including this issue in the agenda of a proposed meeting of the Ministerial Committee on
Methodology.
NAM TROIKA OF AMBASSADORS
The Permanent Representatives of the NAM
Troika (Colombia, South Africa, and Bangladesh) in New York have maintained an ongoing
dialogue on matters of concern to the Movement. In addition, the Troika has from time to
time received mandates from the Coordinating Bureau to take up specific issues with other
UN Members States, regional groupings, and other important role players within the UN
System.
ACTIVITIES OF THE MOVEMENT IN OTHER UNITED NATIONS CENTRES
Geneva
South Africa’s Permanent Representative
in Geneva coordinated the activities of the Movement in the context of the annual sessions
of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in the framework of the Movement's
positions on the resolutions on the Right to Development, Enhancing International
Cooperation in the field of Human Rights, and Human Rights and Globalisation.
In addition, South Africa coordinated the Movement's preparations to participate in the
Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, held in Geneva on
15 July 1999.
Nairobi
The South African High Commissioner in
Nairobi convened regular meetings of the Non-Aligned Movement's Chapter in Nairobi. In
October 1999 the Chapter established a working group consisting of the Troika and one to
three members from each regional group, to coordinate the Chapter's activities in
accordance with its mandate. The working group agreed to:
- engage prominent personalities and UN agencies on African
regional issues;
- assist the G77 in Nairobi via liaison between the respective
chairs during major UN conferences (i.e. the UNEP Governing Council and the Habitat
Commission). Support G77 positions, in accordance with the decisions of the Durban Summit,
and decisions taken by the Coordinating Bureau in New York; and
- hold a workshop or seminar in 2000 to promote the work of
the Nairobi NAM Chapter.
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COORDINATION WITH THE GROUP OF 77 & CHINA (JCC)
In accordance with the mandate of the XII
Summit the Chair continued the close cooperation with Indonesia and Guyana as respective
Chairs of the Group of 77 and China to enhance the solidarity of developing countries in
the United Nations System. 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. One 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, co-chaired by South Africa and Nigeria, the 2000
Chair of the G77 and China, 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 Communiqué, for the 54th
Session.
A further focus of JCC meetings in 1999 was
the preparation of the message from the NAM Chair to the Summit of the Group of Eight
Industrialised Countries which took place in June 1999 in Cologne, Germany. A fluent
exchange between the NAM and G77 and China contributed to the substantive preparation of
the message of the NAM Chair. A representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Guyana attended the NAM/G8 Meeting.
An informal Ministerial meeting of the JCC
was convened on 20 September 1999 in New York in order to allow for an exchange of views
between the NAM and the Group of 77 and China on the agenda of the 54th Session of the UN
General Assembly.
At a meeting on 4 November 1999 the JCC
co-chairs were mandated to engage in informal consultations with the European Union and
Secretariat in order to break the deadlock on the key issues in the preparatory process
for the Millennium Summit.
In November 1999 the JCC also heard a
briefing by Mrs Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION
South Africa's 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.
A representative of the NAM Chair attended a
meeting of eminent personalities to advise on preparations for the South Summit,
Georgetown, Guyana, 6 and 7 December 1999.
The 24th Meeting of NAM Health Ministers was
held during the 52nd World Health Assembly in May 1999, during which a draft resolution
entitled "Strengthening health systems in developing countries" was approved for
submission to the Assembly. The resolution was adopted by consensus.
Work has continued on a project which was
initiated during the previous presidency to develop a network of institutions in selected
NAM countries to collaborate in the area of health sector reform. This work continues with
the next meeting of participating institutions being scheduled for mid 2000.
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DIALOGUE WITH DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
In 1998 and 1999, in accordance with a
mandate of the XII NAM Summit to enhance dialogue with developed countries, the NAM
Troika, in consultation with the Coordinating Bureau, formulated agendas for Ministerial
Meetings in New York between the NAM Troika and the Chair of the G8, and the EU Troika
respectively.
The Group of Eight Industrialised Countries (G8)
The Troika of NAM Foreign Ministers and a
representative of the Chair of the G77 and China conveyed a message from the NAM Chair
during a meeting between the NAM Troika of Foreign Ministers and the Foreign Ministers of
the G8 member countries in Cologne, Germany in June 1999. The meeting involved an exchange
of ideas on issues of common concern, and was followed by a joint communiqué which
acknowledged the need for regular interaction between the NAM and the G8. In September
1999, the latter meeting was followed up by a Ministerial meeting between the NAM Troika
and the G8 Chair in New York, to discuss a consultative mechanism for ongoing dialogue
between the NAM and the G8.
The European Union
The NAM Troika of Ministers held meetings
with the Troika of the European Union during the 53rd and 54th Sessions of the United
Nations General Assembly.
THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION
Palestine
The Chair of the Movement remained actively
involved in pursuing the long-standing objective of promoting the interests and rights of
the Palestinian people on the international stage as well as promoting the broader
objective of achieving a lasting and just peace in the Middle East region.
In October 1998 the Chair of the
Coordinating Bureau addressed a letter to the Chair of the Credentials Committee of the
53rd Session of the UN General Assembly reaffirming the NAM position on the
inapplicability of Israel's credentials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem. Similar correspondence was addressed to the Chair of the Credentials Committee
of the 54th Session of the UN General Assembly.
The Coordinating Bureau met in January 1999
to discuss support for the resumption of the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the
General Assembly to consider the agenda item on "Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied
East Jerusalem and the rest of the Palestinian Territory". In this regard, a letter
on behalf of NAM, supporting a request of the Arab League, was subsequently forwarded in
January 1999 to the Acting President of the Assembly.
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.
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 Depositary 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.
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.
A representative of the Chair delivered a
statement, on behalf of the Movement, to the United Nations International Conference on
Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,
including Jerusalem, in Cairo, Egypt, from 14-15 June 1999.
Members of the Movement participated in the
Conference of the High Contracting Parties on Measures to Enforce the Fourth Geneva
Convention in Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem, held in Geneva on 15
July 1999.
A representative of the Chair also attended
a United Nations Asian Meeting on the Question of Palestine held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 1
to 3 March 2000.
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Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
In March and April 1999 the Movement held a
number of Meetings of the Coordinating Bureau to respond to the crisis in Kosovo. The
Movement issued a statement on 9 April 1999 which expressed Members' concerns at the
humanitarian crisis in Kosovo and at NATO's unilateral intervention in defiance of the UN
Charter, and which called for a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the crisis. In addition,
at the request of the Coordinating Bureau, the Permanent Representatives of the NAM Troika
in New York met with the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, and
with the UN Secretary-General, to convey the views and concerns of the Movement on the
Kosovo issue, and to review what steps the United Nations was taking to bring about a
peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Libya
In accordance with the decisions of the XII
Summit, and in view of the developments regarding the handing over of the two Libyan
citizens accused of carrying out the bombing of Pan Am Flight 104 over Lockerbie, the
Chair of the Coordinating Bureau addressed a letter to the UN Secretary- General on 20
April 1999 reflecting the NAM positions with regard to Libya and the issue of the lifting
of sanctions.
South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs,
in her capacity as Chair of the Movement, addressed a letter to the UN Secretary-General
regarding the appointment observers from regional and international organisations to the
Lockerbie trial in the Hague, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1192. The
Secretary-General of the UN, Mr Kofi Annan, invited the Chair of the NAM, President Thabo
Mbeki, to nominate a NAM observer to the trial. The Chair remains actively seized of this
matter.
Iraq
In December 1998, the Chair of the
Coordinating Bureau in New York issued a statement on behalf of the Movement, in which it
expressed the Movement's condemnation of the ongoing military air strikes on Iraq by the
United Kingdom and the United States.
Colombia
On 25 June 1999, the Chair of the
Coordinating Bureau issued a statement condemning the taking of hostages and the
kidnapping of civilian persons in the Republic of Colombia, and strongly emphasised that
hostage taking constitutes a serious violation of the enjoyment of human rights and a
breach of international humanitarian law.
FORMULATION OF ACTION PROGRAMMES
Plan of Action for the Non-Aligned Movement
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 Coordinating Bureau
approved a draft Plan of Action on 30 August 1999.
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CONSULTATIONS REGARDING THE ECONOMIC AGENDA OF THE SOUTH
In terms of paragraph 31 of the XII Summit
Document, 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.
In order to give effect to this mandate,
South Africa initiated a number of actions, which included the following:
- In February 1999, President Mandela wrote to his
counterparts in the Movement, requesting their views on the matter.
- In May 1999, South Africa informed members of the
Coordinating Bureau that the official transcript of the Ministerial Round-table 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 on 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.
In carrying out this mandate, the Chair of
the Movement acknowledged that the Group of 77 was also engaged in a parallel endeavour to
formulate proposals for the Economic Agenda of the South, through the convening of the
South Summit.
In this respect, the Permanent
Representative of South Africa, in its capacity as Chair of the Movement, made a statement
to the G77 and China Preparatory Committee for the South Summit. Additionally, the Chair
of NAM presented to the Preparatory Committee those inputs received from NAM Heads of
State or Government for consideration by the Preparatory Committee. As most of the members
of the Non-Aligned Movement are also members of the G77, and bearing in mind the need to
avoid a duplication of efforts, and the need to respond appropriately to developments
between Summits, it may be important to reappraise the viability of the implementation of
this mandate.
   
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