Belgrade summit adopts its founding declaration

The session opened as newly independent states entered the United Nations in growing numbers. Their presence began to shift debate away from an international order dominated by colonial powers,...

Resolution 1514 (XV) declared that colonial subjection violated fundamental rights and called for an end to colonialism. Anti-colonial states helped make decolonization a central UN question, though...

Delegates debated who could participate and what non-alignment meant. The discussions exposed competing priorities: broad independence from both blocs, versus a sharper focus on anti-colonial struggle...

The preparatory meeting set criteria to distinguish non-alignment from formal alliance membership and to support anti-colonial policy. These criteria reflected a negotiated coalition rather than a...

Twenty-five countries attended the first summit. Leaders sought an independent role in world affairs, opposed colonialism and racism, and pressed for disarmament and peaceful coexistence. The...

The United States confronted the Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba. The crisis placed newly independent states under intense pressure to choose sides and underscored why NAM members argued that...

War between India and China strained solidarity among states associated with Bandung. The conflict showed that non-alignment could not prevent interstate disputes and that national security priorities...

Thirty-two independent African states founded the Organization of African Unity. The charter linked sovereignty with continental unity and support for liberation, creating a major regional partner for...

The second summit met as membership and the range of issues expanded. Delegates reaffirmed opposition to colonialism and neo-colonialism and discussed economic development, African liberation and...

The final documents emphasized cooperation with African states and opposition to imperialism and neo-colonialism. They also reflected the difficulty of turning a diverse coalition into a common...