The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, addressed leaders from 121 Non-Aligned Movement countries, calling for greater cooperation to protect all humanity from overlapping economic, environmental and security challenges.
She was speaking at the 19th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kampala, Uganda on Jan. 20.
Addressing leaders, foreign affairs ministers and strategic partners as an official observer, the Secretary-General said, 鈥淥ur world is tightly bound by a tangled knot of crises spanning global economic, environmental and security systems. These crises are serious, complex and increasingly entrenched. Overcoming them will require a level of international political and economic cooperation, which is unprecedented in this century.鈥
While acknowledging the immense pressure on the multilateral system, she remained optimistic.
鈥淭ogether, we have the power to shift the balance of our fracturing world from mistrust and confrontation to dialogue and collaboration. Your perspectives are essential, and your action is imperative,鈥 she said.
The Secretary-General congratulated President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on his chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement and promised the Commonwealth鈥檚 full support during his term.
She also thanked Azerbaijan, the outgoing chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, adding: 鈥淚 pay tribute to His Excellency President Aliyev of Azerbaijan for his stewardship of the Non-Aligned Movement over the last four difficult years and commend his government for stepping forward to host the next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku later this year.鈥
During the summit, the Secretary-General also met with leaders from Commonwealth countries to discuss shared interests and opportunities for further collaboration.