TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Uganda to attend the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Interim Ministerial Conference, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Bakaei announced on Monday.
The conference, themed “Deepening Cooperation for Greater Global Prosperity,” will bring together foreign ministers and senior delegations from the movement’s more than 120 member countries to discuss key international and development issues.
Bakkai said that in parallel with the general discussion and exchange of views among Member States, a special session of the NAM Committee on Palestine will also be convened with the participation of Member States, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.
It added that during the meeting, Minister Araghchi will present Iran’s views on major international situations and reaffirm the country’s commitment to the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement. On the sidelines of this event, he will hold bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest and regional cooperation.
The origins of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) lie in the Bandung Conference, the first large-scale Afro-Asian gathering, held from April 18 to 24, 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. At the time, most African countries were still under colonial rule, so the conference brought together 29 countries, mostly from Asia.
The Bandung Conference sought to promote peace, decolonization, and economic cooperation among developing countries, while rejecting involvement in the East-West ideological conflicts of the Cold War era. Participating countries emphasized independence from power bloc politics and prioritized national sovereignty and development.
Based on the principles adopted at Bandung, the Non-Aligned Movement was formally established in 1961 at its first summit in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, attended by 25 countries, including Egypt, India, Indonesia, Yugoslavia, and Ghana.
Since its establishment, NAM has expanded its focus to include economic cooperation, humanitarian issues, and social development, while adhering to the Bandung Principles, which center on independence, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. The movement is influential and advocates for nuclear disarmament, the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones, the fight against all forms of terrorism, and support for United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. NAM also played a prominent role in global cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting an equitable recovery among developing countries.
Unlike formal intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations or the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement operates without a founding charter, treaty, or permanent secretariat. Its administrative and coordinating functions are controlled by the country that holds the Presidency.
Iran joined the NAM in 1961, but its active participation began after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the country adopted an independent foreign policy in line with the movement’s principles. Under the Shah, Iran’s membership in the NAM was largely symbolic, as the Iranian government was closely aligned with Western powers, especially the United States and Britain, contrary to the movement’s core ideals of neutrality and anti-colonial solidarity.