Bandung Dasasila: A Moral Compass Amid Polarisation
The world does not need blocs of power that threaten one another. The world needs more space where nations sit as equals, speak honestly, and build a shared future without fear.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - More than seven decades ago, Bandung witnessed the birth of a grand vision: a world free from domination, equal in dignity, and sovereign in determining its own destiny; principles enshrined in the Bandung Dasasila.
The principles born from the 1955 Asian-African Conference – respecting sovereignty, rejecting intervention, and promoting peaceful cooperation – represent a diplomatic legacy that is increasingly relevant in an ever more polarised world.
Today’s global polarisation is not limited to competition between major powers. It poses a real threat to the multilateral order that has long protected developing countries.
Amid escalating conflicts, trade wars, and increasingly harsh and aggressive geopolitical pressures, the values of the Asian-African Conference provide the most realistic foundation for building dignified South-South solidarity.
Here, the Bandung Dasasila regains its urgency as a moral compass for nations that refuse to submit to any single power bloc.
The content of the Bandung Dasasila is:
Respect for fundamental human rights and the objectives and principles contained in the UN Charter
Respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations
Recognition of the equality of all races and the equality of all nations, large and small
Refraining from intervention or interference in the internal affairs of other countries
Respect for the right of each nation to defend itself, either alone or collectively, in accordance with the UN Charter
Refraining from using collective defence arrangements to serve the particular interests of any of the big powers, and refraining from doing so against other countries
Refraining from acts or threats of aggression or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any country
Settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means, such as negotiation, conciliation, arbitration, or other peaceful means as chosen by the parties involved in accordance with the UN Charter
Promotion of mutual interests and cooperation
Respect for international law and obligations