Make NAM relevant, effective to face challenges: India

India on Friday urged members of the Non-Aligned Movement to introspect and reflect upon the grouping's achievements to make it relevant and effective in the face of the new challenges.

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, who is leading an Indian delegation to the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) here, said NAM has played an important role in promoting global peace and security and in voicing the hopes and aspirations of nearly two-thirds of humanity.

"We must take this opportunity to introspect and reflect upon the NAM journey and its achievements so far, and what concrete steps we can take to make this Movement relevant and effective as it gears up to face the new challenges of the modern world," Naidu said.

"It (NAM) has imparted political impetus and moral direction to many important processes, including our shared struggles to end colonisation and eliminate Apartheid. If we are to remain relevant, this tradition of independence must be defended and nurtured so that we set our own agenda," he said.

The Vice President said India had been a proud and integral part of this journey since the very beginning.

"We have fought shoulder to shoulder with our NAM partners to secure a more equal and just world order for our peoples. We continue our unwavering commitment and solidarity for the Palestinian cause," he said.

Naidu said in the six decades since Bandung and Belgrade, however, the world has undergone a remarkable transformation.

"Today we are faced with serious challenges of an interdependent world. Globalisation and unprecedented technological advances are shaping the 21st century in unpredictable and often disruptive ways. As we all strive to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth and a better future for our peoples, we must realise that our destinies are linked like never before," he said.

The adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the global 2030 Sustainable Development Goals represent important milestones in recognising the inter-linkage and inter-dependence of our actions and their impacts on our planet's health, Naidu said.

Contemporary threats respect no borders – whether it is terrorism, climate change, pandemics, financial crises, or cybersecurity, he said.

Established in 1961 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, NAM is a forum of 120 developing world states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide.