Ambassador Henry Mayega, the Consul General of Uganda in Dubai, has said that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit is providing a channel for fostering peace since there are several issues faced by the member states across the globe.

While appearing on national television on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, Amb. Mayega said NAM is responding to the issues affecting several countries in Africa.

The Ambassador said that the side meetings being held are extremely important in solving conflicts because they normally aim at bringing peace between member states having conflicts.

He added that through the NAM summit, various means will be devised to see how the conflicts will be resolved and ensure the attainment of peace.

“There are issues between Ethiopia and Somalia; there are issues in Sudan, the former French-speaking countries, West Africa, and across the globe. So NAM provides a pathway through which you can foster peace between member states, and I believe there will be a number of side meetings that happen at international conferences and summits between member states that have issues against each other,” the AMB said.

He noted that President Museveni who is a keynote speaker and more concerned about regional peace and security, citing IGAD, which is central in emphasizing peace and security.

Amb Mayega stated that NAM’s aim is to ensure that the member states are developed and achieve peace, security, and good relations so that there’s no political interference.

NAM, comprised of 120 member states, was founded in 1955 during the Cold War as a response to the looming division of the world into the Western bloc led by the United States and the Eastern bloc by the Soviet Union.

As a result, the organization was to ensure that most of the countries that were under colonialism attain independence, sovereignty, peace, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. The first summit was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961.