CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Address by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, to present the report of the NAM Chair. 29 April 2009

Distinguished representatives of member countries and observers of the Non-Aligned Movement:

The Cuban Chair submits to your consideration a new report on the activities of the Movement in the period from the 14th Summit in September 2006 to March 2009.

Right now, this report is being handed out in the room as document NAM 2009/MM/INF.5. In it you will find details of the actions undertaken in the different multilateral venues.

Among the main results, I would like to mention the following:

• The active and stable work of the Coordinating Bureau and its working groups has enabled the consolidation and increasing effectiveness of the harmonizing of positions of the non-aligned countries in key processes within the United Nations.

• The ties and coordination of positions of the Movement with other groups in the South have been strengthened, especially with the G77 and China, through the Joint Coordinating Committee.

• The activities of the Movement in multilateral venues such as UNESCO, Geneva, Vienna and The Hague have expanded and consolidated. The report offers ample information on the actions, initiatives and performance records of the Movement in bodies and forums such as the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), among others. Special mention must be made of what has been done at UNESCO, where the Movement has managed to reassert itself after 20 years of inactivity, in the discussion of priority issues in the areas of culture, education and information.

• The essential support of the Movement for the Palestinian people and other Arab peoples in their just struggles against the Israeli aggressor is worth noting.

• In the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 we successfully held the high-level meetings in the NAM Plan of Action for 2006-2009 adopted at the 14th Summit in Havana. All had a wide and active participation of the non-aligned countries and adopted important documents that established the basis for the actions of the Movement. You can obtain information about each of them in the Report.

• The NAM Caucus in the Security Council has been active and has increased its level of coordination with the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau and the remaining non-aligned countries. The NAM Caucus has been established and operates efficiently in the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace.

Excellencies,

The document that was distributed shows that in the period since the conclusion of the 14th Summit, we have made progress in meeting the objectives agreed by our Heads of State and Government, based on the Declaration of Purposes and Principles of the Movement in the current international situation, adopted at the Havana Summit. This should encourage us to continue working on the revitalization and strengthening of the NAM.

Cuba would like to call your attention to some important objectives that we have agreed on in the meetings held during these 3 years:

- To support the successful holding of the Fifteenth NAM Summit, in Egypt next July. We are all called upon to participate in its preparation and development.

- To work in strengthening the unity of action of the Movement. This is where our strength lies. Diversity enriches the value of the consensus we reach. We have the working principles and methods required to make agreement and consensus possible.

- To preserve the institutional discipline of the Movement. Ensure the systematic holding of meetings planned with goals that represent the interests and expectations of the members in each scenario, both those of the Coordinating Bureau, and its Working Groups.

- To strengthen the capacity to respond to global problems affecting us. The global economic crisis is a serious challenge, but is also an opportunity to act to overcome its structural causes and establish a more just and equitable world. The Movement, with its 118 member states, is a key player in its own right and must ensure through their actions that their views are taken into account.

- To continue the revitalization of the NAM Caucus in the UN Security Council, in which issues of utmost importance for international peace and security are resolved and which, unfortunately, continues to be manipulated for imperialistic interests and hegemonic pretensions.

- To consolidate the Movement’s work in UNESCO.

- To preserve the unity of action with the G-77 and China.

- To strengthen the partnership approach that has gradually been gaining strength in the human rights bodies of the United Nations, in particular the Human Rights Council. The Movement must close ranks against unjust condemnations of our members and the attempt to impose hegemonic patterns in matters concerning democracy. We must give particular importance to the review exercise to be conducted by the Council in 2011.

- To consolidate the Movement’s performance in all the relevant discussions in the multilateral venues of Geneva, Vienna and The Hague.

- To provide follow-up for the agreements reached during the various NAM ministerial meetings, setting, whenever appropriate, the time frames and ways to implement them. We should improve our ability to incorporate all possible programmatic lines into action plans subject to control.

- To continue working in an ethical and transparent manner, thus ensuring the strength of our movement based on credibility, respect and moral authority.

Cuba will continue to contribute modestly to accomplishing these priorities and other goals and objectives that we set ourselves to make the Movement a stronger and more effective forum for concerted political action in defense of the interests and ideals we share.

Thank you very much.

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