The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) will have to be more relevant and effective in order to face contemporary global challenges, including the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said.
Reaffirming Bangladesh's unswerving commitment to NAM values, he stressed the need to foster cooperation among the organisation’s 120-member states to confront the challenges of the contemporary world, including Covid-19.
In a recorded statement delivered at the ministerial meeting of the NAM coordinating bureau on Friday, the foreign minister said that that members must reflect on the movement’s achievements so far, and endeavor to make the organization more relevant and effective to face the current and emerging global challenges.
Since its inception, NAM has represented the basic aspirations of the common people of the world - to remain free from hunger and disease, to get decent employment and to achieve quality education, he said.
"However, the Covid-19 pandemic presents formidable challenges to these aspirations. During this trying time, NAM countries must work in full solidarity and pool their best practices, experiences, crisis-management protocols, research and resources to fight the invisible enemy," he added.
The foreign minister particularly underscored collaboration and political commitment among the member states on equitable and timely access to Covid-19 medicines and vaccines at affordable prices, guided by the spirit of fraternity and solidarity.
He also sought the support of NAM countries in the repatriation of the 1.1 million persecuted and forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh.
Dr Momen said that Covid-19 was likely to exacerbate existing global challenges, including poverty, climate change, drought, desertification, violence, extremism and conflicts.
"Building back better from the pandemic would necessitate committed leadership and meaningful partnership," he said.
"To confront the challenges of the pandemic and to keep our development gains on track, NAM members must be guided by the movement’s abiding principles, ideals and purposes in seeking to establish a peaceful and prosperous, just and equitable world," he emphasized.