Reorienting NAM in the 1990s (2)

Reorienting NAM in the 1990s (2)

This is the second of two articles excerpted from a paper
presented by Indonesian Ambassador-at-Large Nana S. Sutresna at
an international seminar in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Another major burden that the developing
countries have to bear is the external debt crisis which
constitutes a major drain on the resources of developing
countries and has often frustrated their endeavors at development
in spite of various strategies tried out by the international
community to alleviate this crisis. The NAM therefore decided
during the Tenth Summit to continue its consultative process on
the external debt on a high intergovernmental level and to
formulate policy guidelines that would bring about a
comprehensive and durable solution to the problem. In compliance
with this decision, the Chairman hosted three meetings of experts
on external debt. The result of these meetings was the
formulation of a "Memorandum on Urgent Actions on Bilateral,
Multilateral and Commercial Debt of the Developing Countries"
which was subsequently presented by the NAM Chairman to the
Leaders of the Group of Seven through their Chairman on the event
of their Tokyo Summit.

Another action-oriented strategy that has been adopted by the
Movement is that of self-propelling growth. It has been found
effective and appropriate for pursuing South-South cooperation and
for achieving sustainable development. Founded on self-reliance,
this strategy promotes community-based economic growth as well as
the right of the poor to participate in and benefit from
development. To further propagate this grass roots approach,
Indonesia is going to host the Open-Ended Joint Meeting of Experts
and Decision-Makers of Developing Countries on Development Schemes
this coming March.

Perhaps the South-South initiative of the NAM that has had the
greatest impact is the Asia-Africa Forum which was held last month
in, most appropriately, Bandung. In this forum, a follow-up the
Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the
developing countries of the Far East which have impressed the world
with their dynamic growth shared experiences, observations and
insights with the developing countries of Africa. The forum has
resulted in the establishment of a solid foundation for promotion of
development cooperation between Asian and African countries. Now
often referred to as the Bandung Forum, it could serve as a model
for future South-South cooperation efforts: indeed the discussions
were down-to-earth but insightful, and the representation was
balanced with African learning from Asia as much as Asia learning
from Africa.

Since there will be more such initiatives in South-South
cooperation in the future, the question of coordination has to come
up. There is need for coordination, too, in the endeavors of the
countries of the South to hold dialog and negotiations with the
countries of the North. In view of this need for coordination,
the NAM, through its Coordinating Bureau and working with the
Group of 77, expedited the operationalization of the Joint
Coordinating Committee (JCC) early last year. As a result, the
terms of reference of the Joint Coordinating Committee were put
into practice soon after the NAM Ministerial Meeting in Cairo,
also last year. Thus the two major bodies of developing countries
are now able to harness their collective strength to effectively
and efficiently pursue various development projects within the
framework of South-South cooperation as well as dialog with their
counterparts in the developed North.

Among the countries that regard the NAM as a positive force for
dialog on international economic issues and with which the NAM
will need to be in constant consultation are the newly
independent countries which used to belong to the East European
Group Countries. Described today as the "countries in
transition," they have had a profound impact on the developing
world for they do compete with other developing countries for
scarce international resources for development. To the Non-
Aligned Countries, this is a matter of concern. But the political
importance of these countries and the contributions that they
could make cannot be overemphasized. We realize also that if
there is a deterioration in the situation of these countries, the
whole international community will be affected. From a historical
perspective, even while they were within the exclusive sphere of
influence of the former Soviet Union, these countries in general
have often been sympathetic to the developing world. After the
breakdown with the Soviet Union, it would seem that these
countries, because of their disillusionment with Communism and
their urgent need for development resources, have become more
orientated towards the West in terms of political values. They do
need help and the international community should provide that
help, without, however, sacrificing the aspirations of the rest
of the developing world.

Realizing that social and economic development can only be
secured in a regime of peace, the Non-Aligned Movement continues
to be seized with political issues as well as the tensions and
conflicts which attend these issues. My personal observation is
that during the past two years, the NAM has been growing in
importance and effectiveness as an instrumentality for the
solution of international political disputes or conflicts. The
NAM has played that role primarily through the sending of Special
Emissaries of the NAM Chairman to the countries in conflict, most
of the time working behind the scenes. The Movement's advocacy
for the peaceful solution of conflicts is also being carried out
in the forums provided by the workings of the United Nations.

On disarmament issues, the NAM has consistently sought a
comprehensive, balanced and non-discriminatory approach. We also
agree that security should be sought through total nuclear
disarmament, the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction
as well as through balanced and progressive reductions of
conventional armaments at global and regional levels.

The Movement remains firmly committed to its long-established
position that a new international order can only be achieved through
the central instrumentality of the United Nations. Moreover, we in
the Movement feel that any new international order can only be
generally acceptable if it is consistent with the principles and
ideals enshrined in the UN Charter. Consequently, a judicious
restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations remains in
the highest priority of the Movement. In the endeavors to improve
the working methods of the General Assembly, the NAM has been an
active participant. Further work, however, needs to be done to
define a clear concept of the role of the General Assembly so
that it can exercise the powers given to it by provisions of the
Charter.

We do feel that in the Security Council, the majority is
disenfranchised and excluded from much of the decision-making that
is taking place. Hence all the Members of our Movement have demanded
an expansion of the membership of the Council. They have also called
for vigilance to ensure that the Security Council does not encroach
on the jurisdiction and prerogatives of the General Assembly. While
there is a wide spectrum of views on these important issues, the
effectiveness of the NAM as an advocate for reform in the United
Nations would depend upon its unity, cohesion and commonality of
interests. That is the rationale for the establishment of the
Movement's High Level Working Group for the Restructuring of the
United Nations which is now actively at work in the General
Assembly.

What has become apparent in this spate of activities and
involvements of the Movement is that the decisions taken at its
Jakarta Summit have not remained decision on paper -- they have
been given concrete reality and have assumed a life of their own.
Indonesia, as Chairman of the Movement, has made it a point that
these decisions should be translated into action. It has also
made it a point to remind Members of the Movement to speak and to
act in international forums in accordance with the intentions and
the spirit of these Summit decisions. At the United Nations in
New York, the Coordinating Bureau of the NAM has been meeting
regularly to discuss not only the implementation of the decision
of the Tenth Summit but also to actively coordinate the positions
of the Movement on various issues of importance to the Non-
Aligned and other developing countries.

It is possible and I do hope that Indonesia has been able to
set a trend in the conduct of the Chairmanship of the Movement. Many
more initiatives have to be launched in order to help bring about
the Movement's envisioned new international order and in each of
these, the Chairmanship plays a central role. Realizing this, the
membership of the Movement has provided the Chairmanship with a
mechanism for seeking assistance at the highest political level from
the appropriate members whenever a common concern becomes urgent or
critical. This is in the form of a special mandate which enables the
Chairman to form and convene a committee at the Summit or
Ministerial level to tackle specific urgent problems. Although there
are two formulas for the membership of the committee, the Chairman
is free to include any member whose resources and experience would
be most appropriate to the task at hand.

It has to be acknowledged, however, that in working for its
vision of a new international order, the NAM has to contend with the
normal constraints in international cooperation and relations -- not
the least of which is the fact that some countries are more powerful
than others and they often have their way without regard to the
views of their sovereign equals. This fact of international life is
apparent even in such a global organization dedicated to democracy--
the United Nations.

The Movement has also to contend with internal constraints, one
of which is the fact that there are a few members that are still
more comfortable with the old adversarial approach to dealing with
the countries of the developed North and with international
institutions. It is important to get these members with the old
orientation "on board", as a more cohesive Movement would be more
beneficial not only to the members but also to the outside world.

A more serious internal constraint is the fact that there are
members in a dispute or a state of conflict with one another. It has
happened that the Chairmanship had to expend so much time and effort
in preventing the meetings of the Movement from becoming a forum for
the airing of bilateral grievances and mutual recrimination. This
could have a deterrent effect on South-South cooperation and may
even undermine the negotiating position of the South vis-a-vis
the countries of the North. Thus, always among the first victims
of such conflicts is development.

There is therefore a clear and urgent need for the Members of
the Movement to evolve a mechanism for the settlement of disputes
and management of potential conflict among NAM members. This is one
of the urgent concerns that I hope will be taken up in the Eleventh
NAM Summit to be held in Colombia in the later part of this year.