Pretoria - In the closing declaration of the 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) released on Sunday, member states have called for the reform, recovery and strengthening of the United Nations.
The summit of the 120-nation group, which was held on the Venezuelan resort island of Margarita, encouraged the establishment of a harmonious and balanced relationship between the main bodies of the UN.
NAM member states called for the reform of the UN Security Council in order to “transform it into a more democratic, effective, efficient, transparent and representative body, in line with contemporary geo-political realities”.
On the selection and appointment of the new Secretary General of the United Nations, member states called for greater transparency and inclusiveness, with due consideration of the principles of geographical rotation and gender equality.
The 71st Session of the UN General Assembly is underway in New York under the theme, ‘The Sustainable Development Goals: A universal push to transform our world’. This is the final general debate under the term of the current Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, whose tenure concludes at the end of December.
The NAM summit reiterated its commitment to work towards the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The leaders also reiterated their support to strengthening the multilateral trading system to provide an enabling environment for development.
They believe that this will ensure a “level playing field for developing countries in international trade, which is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, while also contributing to the promotion of sustainable development”.
With regards to economic governance, the summit reaffirmed that the reform of the international financial architecture requires the democratisation of the decision-making institutions of Bretton Woods (the International Monetary Fund and World Bank).
The leaders said it was necessary to widen and strengthen the level of participation of developing countries in the international decision and economic law-making processes and in the governance of a new world economic order.
Furthermore, NAM rejected the economic blockade of Cuba, condemned Europe's policy on refugees, and supported Palestine and Puerto Rico in their struggle against occupation.
The summit reiterated its stance that terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
Leaders condemned the destruction of cultural heritage and religious sites, as well as the commission of crimes against humanity by terrorist groups, among others, on the basis of their religion or beliefs. - SAnews.gov.za
