Representatives of 120 countries are meeting until January 20 in Uganda, for the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement who continue to claim their independence as well as their solidarity with regard to international crises, the latest of which is the war in Gaza.
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It is the largest gathering of world leaders in Kampala for more than a decade following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007. Ugandan authorities have spared no expense in accommodating the more than 15,000 delegates and 28 heads of state, including the leaders of Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya, who will begin arriving from Wednesday. Security has been reinforced in the capital on major roads, roundabouts and roads have been repaired and decorated with flowers. Efforts which will also be used during the hosting of the summit of the countries of the South with China, which will be held on Saturday in the wake of that of the Non-Aligned Movement.
This is a sure coup for President Yoweri Museveni, believes analyst Timothy Kalyegira. “ Holding two summits in the same week is an achievement “, he believes. A welcome breath of fresh air for the head of state, under fire for his anti-LGBT law and singled out for his human rights record. “ These two summits allow Museveni to challenge the West », Explains Emmanuel Mutaizibwa, editor-in-chief at the Nation Media Group. “ He sends a clear message to the world: China and the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement support him despite his policies “.
Palestinian recognition of South African legal action
As in 2019, during the last summit in Azerbaijan, the Palestinian question was included in the discussions. Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations, urged the Non-Aligned Movement to support the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people: “ We will need the support of our movement after we end this aggression to help us end the occupation and achieve the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to independence and the right of return. refugees. »
Riyad Mansour also expressed his gratitude to South Africa for its complaint filed against Israel in The Hague and asked the movement not to “ forget » the Palestinian population. Host country Uganda is one of the few African countries to have a judge at the International Court of Justice who will decide whether it grants Pretoria’s request.
Food and energy independence
In his opening speech, the Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Jeje Odong, previously stressed the importance of working together to face the challenges affecting the countries of the South. First there is the question of trade. Many African countries are still suffering the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the sharp fluctuations in food prices it caused. Experts believe the movement should defend better food sovereignty for the 120 countries.
They also advocate for energy independence in order to lower production costs and thus make the countries of the South more competitive. A way, according to them, to reduce the dependence of Southern countries on imports and reduce their debt.
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