NAM must reflect on past achievements, do honest introspection about movement: MoS Meenakashi Lekhi

Union Minister of State for External Affairs (MoS) Meenakashi Lekhi on Monday said the members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) must reflect on past achievements and should do an honest introspection about the grouping to ensure its continuing relevance and influence.

At a High-level Commemorative Meeting to mark the 60th Anniversary of the NAM in Serbia, Lekhi said in the past, core principles of the grouping have provided the potential and moral impetus for decolonisation process leading to the independence of many of the member states.

The minister advised the grouping for honest introspection about the movement in order to ensure the continuing relevance and influence of NAM.

"While we reflect on past achievements, this is equally a time for honest introspection about our movement - what must we do to ensure the continuing relevance and influence of NAM on global outcomes. Whether it is achieving 2030 developmental targets, countering the scourge of terror, combating climate change or defeating the pandemic?" she said.

"Our founding leaders had envisaged the Non-Aligned Movement as a way to carve out autonomous space on the geopolitical landscape for the developing countries. We need to ensure that we stay committed to that cause so that we actually realise the aspirations of our people for socio-economic, scientific and technological developments," she added.

Lekhi also urged the organisation to revisit and revitalise the methodology of discussion and decision-making in NAM.

"It was created to pursue the interest of developing countries. This has been our strength but we risk becoming irrelevant if we do not check the divisive tendencies within our movement. We also need to revisit and revitalize our methodology of discussion and decision-making following arbitrary and non-criteria-based procedures will not hold us in good stead," she said.

"Whether we are willing to make compromises for the sake of our collective interest and for the sake of effectively addressing new global challenges like the pandemic, terrorism, climate change will finally determine whether or not NAM remains relevant in a fast-challenging world?" she added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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