In a significant diplomatic move, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, embarked on a journey to Uganda today to lead the Nepali delegation at the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit. The summit is scheduled to take place in Kampala on January 19-20.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Prime Minister, accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Prasad Saud, and Sewa Lamsal, Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, departed on Qatar Airlines early this morning. Other senior government officials are also part of the delegation.
During the first day of the two-day summit, Prime Minister Dahal is slated to address the plenary session focusing on the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.” Additionally, he will attend a state banquet hosted by the President of Uganda, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, in honor of the Heads of the delegations from NAM member states.
Apart from summit activities, Prime Minister Dahal has scheduled bilateral meetings with Heads of States, Heads of Governments, and other dignitaries participating in the event. Foreign Minister Saud had already departed for Uganda on January 15 to participate in the ministerial meeting held from January 17-18.
Preceding the ministerial meeting, a senior officials meeting took place from January 15-16. The agenda of the summit includes the consideration of the preparatory ministerial meeting’s report, reviewing the progress achieved since the 18th NAM Summit in 2019, and the adoption of the Kampala Declaration, among other crucial matters.
Nepal, as a founding member of the NAM, has consistently played an active role in all NAM Summits, aligning with the bedrock principle of nonalignment, which remains a cornerstone of Nepal’s foreign policy.
Prime Minister Dahal is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on the morning of January 21. Following the 19th NAM Summit, Uganda will host the Third South Summit from January 21-22, led by Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, as announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
