Fundamental Principles of NAM Still Remain Relevant- Foreign Minister 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdul Samad Abdullah is attending the Ministerial Meeting of the Non Align Movement taking place in Tehran from 28-29 August 2012. The Minister delivered a statement on the first day of the Meeting. In his statement, Minister Samad spoke on the theme of the meeting “Lasting Peace Through Global Governance”. The Minister noted that “the fundamental principles of NAM still remains relevant’ and asked “whether the Movement manifest its founding principles in its operational work”.

Minister Samad further noted that global governance involves diverse sets of actors, government, intergovernmental and non-governmental actors and organisations. He also said that climate change has become a major threat to human civilization, and called for global solutions and partnerships to combat global climate change. The Minister further noted that Joint Global Governance is a concept that can be readily applied in the international climate change negotiations.

Minister Samad noted that one important aspect of Global Governance is governance itself. The Minister recalled that the Maldives started an ambitious democratisation programme eight years ago, and said that the pace, breadth, and depth of the programme are also posing some challenges, which the political leaders in the country are committed to overcome through national processes and mechanisms.