Nepal Deplores All Kinds Of Conflicts, Geo-Political Rivalries In World: PM Dahal

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has urged to reaffirm the commitment of nations aligned to the values and principles of non-alignment and avoid any double standards amongst ourselves.

PM Dahal said it while addressing the 19th Summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) under the theme of 'Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence' in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday.

"As a peace-loving nation, Nepal deplores all kinds of conflicts and geo-political rivalries in the world," PM Dahal reminded.

He added that the conflict situation in Ukraine and Gaza is deeply distressing, and Nepal looks forward to seeing peace and stability in the Middle East with a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized international borders based on relevant United Nations resolutions.

"As a leader who emerged from conflict, I believe that peace is possible and so is addressing historical, socio-cultural, and economic injustice both within nations and globally, provided our strong faith and willingness," he shared.

Similarly, he viewed NAM must stress on the economic development and prosperity of its members through the timely achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals.

"To overcome the resource deficit, along with North-South and Triangular cooperation, we should also enhance South-South cooperation as many fellow NAM members have made significant progress both in socio-economic development as well as technological advancement," PM Dahal stated, adding that
NAM should accord high priority to addressing the institutional and capacity constraints being faced by developing and least developed countries on ‘Science, Technology, and Innovation’, which have become a game changer in today’s world.

Moreover, the PM sought NAM's role in reforming the United Nations. "Our multilateral institutions should be inclusive, transparent, and democratic to ensure enduring peace and shared prosperity," he underlined.

He also reminded NAM's role to address common and contemporary challenges we are facing.

"I bring the message of peace from the birthplace of Gautam Buddha for the success of this Summit at a time when peace is much needed element for shared prosperity," he shared in the event.

"I join fellow leaders in acknowledging the commendable work of the outgoing Chair, the Republic of Azerbaijan, for successfully hosting the 18thNAM Summit and advancing the Movement despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," he said, reminding that NAM has come a long way since 1955 when the Bandung Afro-Asian Conference was held, and the seed of NAM was sown.

According to him, the Movement had been instrumental in achieving political independence, freedom, decolonization, and sovereignty for many countries in the world. It has remained a beacon of hope for our dignity, pride, solidarity, and cooperation.

PM Dahal worried that though the NAM has continued to struggle for a just, equitable, inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous world order, today's world is full of injustice, inequality, division, discord, and exclusion.

Protectionism, violent extremism, and war and conflict are on the rise, while military expenditures and the arms race are soaring, he lamented.

"Since the last Summit, enormous challenges befell humanity with deaths, deprivation, displacement, and destitution of millions of people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among others," Dahal reminded.

He explained that post-pandemic recovery remained slow, skewed, and uneven, hitting hardest the poorest and weakest segments of society. This is further exacerbated by the triple planetary crisis.

Similarly, the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, which are critical to our people in ushering in an era of hope, dignity, and decent life, seems mission impossible.

As he argued, the global financial architecture must be reformed to enable countries in special situations to secure finance in achieving their development visions and goals. To provide development justice to these countries, the developed countries must fulfill their financing commitment without delay.

Similarly, international trade must be just, fair, and inclusive which benefits the bottom billions.

Globalization, as we believe has not lifted all boats uniformly, rather it has increased income disparities and the concentration of wealth in the hands of few countries, he explained.