NAM - Non Alignment Movement

Established in 1961, NAM has sought to “create an independent path in world politics that would not result in member States becoming pawns in the struggles between the major powers.”

Important Introductory Fact:  The First NAM Summit Conference took place in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961.

Intro: The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a group of states which are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) comprising of 120 members and 17 observer states  — 

120 Members: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

17 Observer States:  Argentina, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Montenegro, Paraguay, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uruguay.

Observer Organizations: 10 Observer Organizations – African Union, Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Organization, Common-wealth Secretariat, Hostosian National Independence Movement, Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, South Center, United Nations, Secretariat of the Commonwealth Nations, World Peace Council.

Background: The Non-Aligned Movement was formed during the Cold War, largely on the initiative of then-Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, as an organization of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the United States or the Soviet Union, but sought to remain independent or neutral. The basic concept for the group originated in 1955 during discussions that took place at the Asia-Africa Bandung Conference held in Indonesia. Subsequently, a preparatory meeting for the First NAM Summit Conference was held in Cairo, Egypt from 5-12 June 1961. 

At this meeting, participants discussed the goals of a policy of nonalignment, which were adopted as criteria for membership. These were as follows:

• The country should have adopted an independent policy based on the coexistence of States with different political and social systems and on non-alignment or should be showing a trend in favor of such a policy;
• The country concerned should be consistently supporting the Movements for national independence;
• The country should not be a member of a multilateral military alliance concluded in the context of Great Power conflicts;
• If a country has a bilateral military agreement with a Great Power, or is a member of a regional defense pact, the agreement or pact should not be one deliberately concluded in the context of Great Power conflicts;
• If it has conceded military bases to a Foreign Power the concession should not have been made in the context of Great Power conflicts.

Objectives: NAM has sought to "create an independent path in world politics that would not result in member States becoming pawns in the struggles between the major powers." It identifies the right of independent judgment, the struggle against imperialism and neo-colonialism, and the use of moderation in relations with all big powers as the three basic elements that have influenced its approach. At present, an addition goal is facilitating a restructuring of the international economic order.

Principal Organs: NAM does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat, and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational. Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity.

Summits: The conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries, often referred to as Non-Aligned Movement Summit is the main meeting within the movement and are held every few years. Here is the list -

	Date	Host country	Host city
1st	1–6 September 1961	Yugoslavia	Belgrade
2nd	5–10 October 1964	United Arab Republic	Cairo
3rd	8–10 September 1970	Zambia	Lusaka
4th	5–9 September 1973	Algeria	Algiers
5th	16–19 August 1976	Sri Lanka	Colombo
6th	3–9 September 1979	Cuba	Havana
7th	7–12 March 1983	India	New Delhi
8th	1–6 September 1986	Zimbabwe	Harare
9th	4–7 September 1989	Yugoslavia	Belgrade
10th	1–6 September 1992	Indonesia	Jakarta
11th	18–20 October 1995	Colombia	Cartagena de Indias
12th	2–3 September 1998	South Africa	Durban
13th	20–25 February 2003	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur
14th	15–16 September 2006	Cuba	Havana
15th	11–16 July 2009	Egypt	Sharm El Sheikh
16th	26–31 August 2012	Iran	Tehran

The next summit (17th summit) of the Non-Aligned Movement will be held in Caracas (Venezuela) in 2015.