5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
File:20160122 Sri Lanka 3645 Colombo sRGB (25144304823).jpg
Venue of the Summit
Host countryFile:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka
Date16–19 August 1976
CitiesColombo
ChairSirimavo Bandaranaike
(Prime Minister of Sri Lanka)
Follows4th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (Algiers, File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria)
Precedes6th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (Havana, File:Flag of Cuba.svg Cuba)

5th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement on 16–19 August 1976 in Colombo, Sri Lanka was the conference of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement.[1] 86 nations participated in the summit with additional 30 observers and guests representing all the continents in the world.[2] The Summit is the biggest international conference ever held in Sri Lanka and one of the greatest achievements in its foreign policy.[3] The event took place at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, the first purpose-built conference hall in Asia.[4] It was the first heads of state or government summit of the movement to be organized in Asia.[4] The decisions of the NAM Coordination Bureau organisation and membership conditions were formally defined at the Colombo Summit.[5] The body was to have 25 members (12 from Africa, 8 from Asia, 4 from Latin America and 1 from Europe) and was expected to meet regularly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.[5]

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sirimavo Bandaranaike prioritized economic issues in discussions motivated both by Sri Lanka's own economic interests and a creation of a more properly non-aligned venue free of extreme anti-western rhetoric.[6] India, Sri Lanka, SFR Yugoslavia and Indonesia worked together at the conference to temper more radical proposals by some of the newer member states of the Movement.[2] The conference nevertheless defined Zionism as a form of racism, a definition which was restated at future NAM events.[5]

The logo of the conference included references to five values of self-determination, economic development, peace and security, solidarity and the denial of colonialism and imperialism.[7] The Government of Sri Lanka declared the public holiday to enable residents in the capital city to enter the streets and greet foreign guests.[7]

Sri Lanka selected senior career diplomats to handle the organization of the event with Dr. Vernon Mendis, High Commissioner in London as the Secretary-General of the Summit, and Leelananda de Silva as the Secretary to the Economic Committee of the Summit.[4] It was the first conference in which Vietnam took part after the reunification of the country.[8] The summit was publicly marked in various ways with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka releasing commemorative Rs. 5 coins and two post stamps of Rs 1.15 and Rs. 2 both carrying the portrait of Prime Minister Bandaranaike while the Ceylon Tobacco Company produced a special brand of cigarettes called ‘Summit’.[4] While the Delegation of Yugoslavia arrived to the city by plane, the country also sent the Yugoslav training ship Galeb to the Port of Colombo ahead of the event.[5] The ship served as a venue for bilateral and informal meetings with other participants with first lady Jovanka Broz serving as a host.[5]

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).