President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the world to focus on mutually beneficial cooperation and shared prosperity rather than domination and ideological conflict.
He said this on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, while chairing the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held at Speke Resort Munyonyo under the theme: “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence.”
The meeting, which runs from October 13 to 16, 2025, brings together Ministers of Foreign Affairs from NAM’s 121 member states, alongside representatives from the United Nations, African Union, and other multilateral institutions. The conference serves as the Midterm Review Meeting following Uganda’s successful hosting of the 19th NAM Summit in January 2024.
President Museveni, who is also the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, hailed the foresight of NAM’s founding leaders, saying their decision to pursue neutrality during the Cold War established a vital principle for global peace and cooperation.
“I salute the Non-Aligned Movement. Our elders who started it did us a great service because they achieved neutrality,” H.E. Museveni said.
“At that time, there was a conflict between the socialist camp and the capitalist camp, and our elders said, ‘No, we want to be neutral. We want to judge issues on merit.’ That helped us then, and it is even more important today.”
He warned that the ambitions of hegemonism, where some powers attempt to control the world, were outdated and counterproductive.
“Anybody who thinks they should control the world is wasting their time,” he said.
President Museveni further emphasized the need for the global community to concentrate on “minimum mutually beneficial interests” such as trade, investment, and tourism, areas that unite rather than divide nations.
“My advice to people in the world is that we concentrate on minimum mutually beneficial interests: trade, investments, tourism, and mutual support in any other area. Where we don’t agree, let us act by good example and not coercion. If you think you are right, show it by doing things properly in your own country so that others learn from you,” he said.
Drawing inspiration from Christian teachings, quoting scripture: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven”, President Museveni explained that positive examples, not force, should guide relations among nations.
He recalled the Thirty Years’ War in Europe, triggered by religious intolerance during the Middle Ages, and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after failed attempts to suppress emerging social systems.
“When one of the kings of England wanted to become Protestant, the Pope refused to allow anyone to change from Catholicism, and that caused a lot of chaos,” he said. “In the end, the Pope failed.”
“When capitalism emerged in France after the Revolution, Metternich of Austria-Hungary tried to stop it but failed. Where is Austria-Hungary today? It disappeared because it wanted to stop the evolution of history, which is impossible,” H.E. Museveni stated, adding that each nation should be free to determine its own social and political systems.
The President used examples from global industrial history to underscore how advancements in science and technology benefit all humanity rather than a select few.
“Once there is an advance in the control of nature through science, we should be very happy, and there should be no conflict. I don’t see why anybody would worry that country X and B, and C have come out of poverty and are more prosperous. After all, if you want to do business, why do you want to do business with a poor man, a poor partner? How much will he buy from you? Why don’t we want all our partners to be prosperous so that you can do better business?” President Museveni said.
He cited the example of China’s transformation, which he said indirectly benefited Uganda and other developing nations by making technology and materials such as steel more affordable.
Turning to Africa’s economic situation, President Museveni reiterated his long-standing argument that global prosperity depends on raising purchasing power in all regions.
“If Africa’s GDP per capita was $20,000, we would have a total GDP of about $30 trillion. At $25,000, it would reach $45 trillion. That would not only make Africa richer but would benefit our trading partners because we would buy more from them,” President Museveni explained.
He urged NAM countries to promote industrialization, science, and human resource development to achieve equitable global affluence.
The President also expressed gratitude to NAM member states for entrusting Uganda with the chairmanship.
“We are very happy that you have come to Uganda in such big numbers. I thank you for honoring us with the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement. When I look around and see all of us together, I believe we may be the hope of the world,” he said.
He emphasized that the movement’s unity, grounded in equality and mutual respect, can serve as a foundation for a fairer world order.
The meeting also heard from representatives of the United Nations and the African Union, who commended Uganda for its active leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement and reaffirmed the relevance of NAM in the current multipolar world.
The representative of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, congratulated Uganda for its successful stewardship of the movement. He praised NAM’s role in promoting dialogue, diplomacy, and South-South cooperation.
H.E. Ambassador Musa Mohamed Omar, representing H.E. Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, also lauded Uganda’s leadership and NAM’s enduring vision.
He noted that countries benefiting from the current world order were defending an unfair status quo and urged the Global South to stand united in reforming global governance.
“Those who benefit from the current world order are defending the status quo. But if we put our efforts in common and align our vision with other frameworks such as the G77 plus China, we will be able to influence the construction of a new, fairer world order,” Ambassador Omar said.
He emphasized that the African Union remains steadfast in supporting countries affected by coercive unilateral measures, calling them obstacles to peace and development.
The January 2024 NAM Summit in Kampala, attended by over 120 member states and observers, was widely hailed as a diplomatic success that reaffirmed the movement’s role as a bridge between the Global North and South.
This week’s Midterm Review Meeting is expected to build on those outcomes, with discussions centered on peacebuilding, technology transfer, trade facilitation, and climate resilience.
The Non-Aligned Movement was founded in 1961 in Belgrade by leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Sukarno (Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana). Its objective was to maintain independence from the power blocs of the Cold War while promoting peace, sovereignty, and cooperation among developing nations.
Today, NAM remains the second-largest grouping of countries after the United Nations, representing over 55% of the global population and two-thirds of UN member states.
