As the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) wrapped up in Sharm El-Sheikh Thursday, NAM countries have demonstrated again their determination to play a bigger role in the world arena.

During the two-day summit, the grouping of pan-developing countries called for closer solidarity among member states to address global threats and challenges and promote world peace and development.

Some NAM member states appealed for the construction of a new international political, economic and trade system, which is more balanced and equitable.

The NAM, representing the majority of developing countries in the world, was founded during the Cold War when developing nations were impacted by the confrontation between socialism and capitalism camps.

Its foundation in September 1961 marked a fresh start for lightweight countries to stand closer to protect their rights and interests and voice their views in that hegemonic world society.

However, with the disaggregation of former Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War, NAM began to face questions to its existence. Especially after the world entered a new millennium, great changes have taken place in the world, and even within the NAM countries themselves.

As the world is engulfed by the economic crisis, developing countries, with strengthening consolidation and cooperation, can finally steal some limelight as they become one of the indispensable forces in the multipolar world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the summit, "It is abundantly clear that no country -- regardless of size or resources -- can solve problems alone. That raises the stakes and the space for the Non-Aligned Movement to shape a better world."

"The Non-Aligned Movement can impose some kind of international balance and reactivate the role of the movement on the international level," said Saeed el-Mashat, director of Center for Political Research at faculty of political and economic sciences in Cairo University.

To prove this, the group is endeavoring to exert influence on resolving major international issues as the NAM summit provides a platform for dialogues to narrow differences.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has said NAM could be a possible mechanism to improve Egyptian-Iranian relations which are lukewarm as Egypt opposes what it considers Iran's interference in the Arab affairs.

During a rare meeting on the sidelines of the summit, prime ministers of rival India and Pakistan vowed to cooperate in the fight against terror in the wake of the devastating Mumbai attacks.

In the final document adopted at the summit, NAM countries made clear their unanimous positions on some hot-spot issues, including appealing for ending economic embargo against Cuba, stopping Israeli settlement activities on Palestinian territories and immediate restoration of the ousted Honduran president.

"The Non-Aligned Movement is considered the biggest representative of the developing world, so it can and should impose pressure on the international society," said Dr. Gamal Abdel Gawad, director of International Relations Department of Al Ahram Center for Strategic and Political Studies.

Challenges remain

Although the NAM groups 118 countries, representing nearly two- thirds of the United Nations' members, and comprises 55 percent of the world population, the total amount of NAM members' gross domestic product (GDP) is still comparatively small.

In the just-concluded G8 summit in Italy, developed countries showed increasing interests in North-South cooperation and in involving more developing nations in global decision making. However, what the developed nations have preferred are those burgeoning economies, such as China, India, Brazil and Mexico.

Whereas, most NAM countries are still ravaged by poverty, including some least developed countries which count on aid and assistance let alone have final say on world issues.

Besides, NAM, a loose bloc of developing countries, has no headquarters or standing secretariat, so the decisions of the group have little binding power and their follow-up implementation cannot be well guaranteed due to lack of effective supervision.

From this point, analysts believe that NAM still has a long way to go before emerging as a real "big role" in the competitive world arena.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)