South Centre and the NAM Summit

A delegation of the South Centre attended the 17th NAM Summit as an Observer organization.  As an organization supporting the work of the NAM and G77 and China, the delegation gave interviews to local and international media on the value and importance of the NAM.  A statement by the South Centre was also delivered at the plenary of the Summit.  The delegation comprised of the Centre’s deputy executive director Vicente Paolo Yu and its senior programme officer for global governance, Adriano José Timossi.

The importance of the South Centre to NAM was given due recognition in the Final Outcome document of the Summit.  In a section on South-South cooperation, the Final Outcome in Paragraph 618.9 stated that the Heads of State or Government agreed to reinforce the following measures:

“Reaffirm the central role of the South Centre as the think tank of the countries of the South, and emphasize its importance in enhancing South-South Cooperation through promoting solidarity and mutual understanding among the countries and peoples of the South; as well as providing the intellectual and policy support required by developing countries for collective and individual action in the international arena. In this context, the Members of the Movement are called upon to further support the South Centre, and the Centre should establish South-South networks among relevant institutions to  facilitate the exchange of programmes, academia, and in supporting the Joint Coordinating Committee in the negotiating processes of major United Nations Conferences in the Economic and Social fields.”

President Maduro of Venezuela, at his opening speech, also mentioned the South Centre as one of the key organizations emerging from the work of the South Commission.   He recalled the importance of the South Commission, which he said “did an extraordinary work”, and welcomed the participation of the South Centre delegation at the NAM Summit. He added that the South Commission had presented plans, proposals and recommendations that could be reviewed and implemented by the NAM and he proposed the establishment of a South Secretariat to act as a mechanism of coordination of NAM and as a mechanism of coordination with G77 and China.

As a follow up to the NAM Summit, the senior Venezuelan official coordinating the activities of the NAM Secretariat in Venezuela,  Ruben Dario Molina,  visited the South Centre in Geneva in October 2016.   The South Centre’s Executive Director and other senior officials held a discussion with him on how the Centre would cooperate and collaborate with the NAM and its Presidency during the present three year term.   Activities agreed on include research by the South Centre on issues of priority to NAM; the co-convening of  meetings on these issues;  and South Centre’s provision of support and technical assistance to NAM and its member states;  and assistance in establishing a digital database on NAM.

During the meeting, the South Centre pledged its continued and strengthened support to NAM and its Secretariat and agreed to assist in various activities and on various  issues.

 

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