17th NAM Summit in Venezuela

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Venezuela’s Margarita Island is hosting the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.

This is the fourth time that Latin American and Caribbean region is hosting this important summit.

Cuba, the only country to participate in the first NAM summit in 1961 in Belgrade, has hosted this meeting twice in 1979 and 2006 and Colombia held the meeting in 1995.

With 120 members, NAM is the largest gathering of heads of states and governments. Though the movement began essentially as an Afro-Asian grouping, the movement has, of late attracted a large number of Latin American countries which has prompted an analyst to characterize it “Latin Americanisation of NAM”.

India is being represented by Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

India, which is a founder member of NAM, firmly believes that NAM still embodies the aspirations of most developing countries to stake out their own positions distinct from the Western world and China on a host of regional and global issues.

These include energy, climate change, global terrorism, technology transfer and protection of intellectual property rights etc.

Significance of NAM:

The Non-Aligned Movement continues to be a platform which articulates and promotes developing nations’ collective interests.

It can still be used for enhancing their joint negotiating capacity. India used NAM even in the 1960s and 1970s to project its great power aspirations.

It gave India freedom of action to pursue national rejuvenation.

NAM Meetings: