By Rising Nation Correspondent
At the tranquil shores of Lake Victoria in Munyonyo, world leaders gathered under Uganda’s chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to reflect on one of the most pressing questions of the modern age: can global cooperation triumph over competition?
Presiding over the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of NAM, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni delivered a clear message, the world must choose partnership over domination, progress over conflict, and shared prosperity over selfish gain.
The meeting, held from October 13 to 16, 2025, brought together Ministers of Foreign Affairs from 121 member states, along with representatives from the United Nations, African Union, and other multilateral institutions. It served as a midterm review following Uganda’s widely praised hosting of the 19th NAM Summit in January 2024, which reaffirmed the country’s place at the center of global diplomacy.
A Vision Rooted in History, Shaped by Pragmatism
President Museveni, who currently chairs the Non-Aligned Movement, opened his remarks by revisiting NAM’s founding ideals. He paid tribute to its visionaries like Jawaharlal Nehru, Josip Broz Tito, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Kwame Nkrumah, and Sukarno who forged a path of neutrality during the Cold War, steering developing nations away from superpower entanglement.
“Our elders who started NAM did us a great service because they achieved neutrality,” Museveni said. “They wanted to judge issues on merit. That helped us then, and it is even more important today.”
The President argued that the world has entered a new age of multipolarity, where attempts by some nations to control others are increasingly futile.
“Anybody who thinks they should control the world is wasting their time,” he warned, urging instead a focus on “minimum mutually beneficial interests” such as trade, investment, tourism, and knowledge exchange.
His tone was both philosophical and grounded. Rather than rhetoric, his appeal carried a pragmatic reminder: prosperity cannot exist in isolation, it must be shared.
Lessons from History and Faith
Museveni often blends politics with history and faith, and this occasion was no exception. Drawing on the Christian teaching, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds,” he urged global leaders to lead by example rather than coercion.
He recalled the Thirty Years’ War in Europe and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, using both as cautionary tales of what happens when powers attempt to suppress social or ideological evolution. “In the end, the Pope failed,” he said of Europe’s religious wars. “Metternich tried to stop the rise of capitalism, he failed. Austria-Hungary disappeared because it tried to stop the evolution of history, which is impossible.”
His message was simple: nations should learn to coexist, to differ peacefully, and to allow others to evolve on their own terms.
Prosperity Through Shared Growth
From political philosophy, Museveni turned to economics, where his argument found new urgency. He challenged the notion that global prosperity is a zero-sum game, emphasizing that technological and industrial advancement benefits all.
“Why should anyone be unhappy when another country overcomes poverty?” he asked. “If you want to do business, you need prosperous partners. Let us all develop so we can do better business together.”
Museveni cited China’s transformation as a positive example, noting that its industrial success has indirectly helped developing nations like Uganda through affordable technology and raw materials such as steel.
He further illustrated Africa’s untapped potential with striking figures: if Africa’s GDP per capita reached USD 20,000, the continent’s total GDP would soar to USD 30 trillion, at USD 25,000, it would hit USD 45 trillion. The message was unmistakable; a wealthier Africa benefits the world.
Uganda’s Leadership in a Divided World
Uganda’s diplomatic leadership continues to earn international respect. Representatives of the United Nations and African Union commended the country’s active and principled stewardship of NAM.
The UN Secretary-General’s representative praised Uganda’s commitment to dialogue and South-South cooperation, while Ambassador Musa Mohamed Omar, speaking on behalf of the African Union Commission Chairperson, urged NAM countries to remain united in reforming an unjust global system.
“Those benefiting from the current world order are defending the status quo,” Omar said. “But through cooperation within frameworks like NAM and the G77 plus China, we can shape a new, fairer world order.”
Their remarks underscored Uganda’s emerging role as a moral and diplomatic anchor for the Global South, a small nation projecting big ideas about equality and justice in global governance.
The Spirit of a Rising Nation
For Uganda, the significance of hosting this high-level meeting extends beyond prestige. It speaks to the country’s evolving identity, a rising nation positioning itself not just as a beneficiary of global cooperation, but as a thought leader in shaping it.
Under Museveni’s leadership, Uganda continues to promote regional stability, industrial growth, and human capital development, themes that mirror NAM’s founding ideals of self-reliance, peace, and partnership.
“We are very happy that you have come to Uganda in such big numbers,” the President told delegates. “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.”
His words captured the essence of Uganda’s message, that in a world increasingly defined by division, there remains a space for nations that choose cooperation over conflict, humility over dominance, and development over despair.
Building Bridges, Not Walls
As the 19th NAM Ministerial Meeting concluded, one message echoed beyond Munyonyo: the Non-Aligned Movement is not a relic of the past, but a living force for the future. Under Uganda’s stewardship, it seeks to remind the world that the true measure of power lies not in control, but in cooperation.
In a global system straining under economic inequality, geopolitical competition, and climate vulnerability, Uganda’s call for harmony and shared prosperity is both timely and timeless.
From Kampala, the message travels far beyond Africa’s borders, a message from a rising nation reminding the world that the path to peace and prosperity begins with understanding, respect, and common purpose.
