The Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement met under the Chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, in Bali, Indonesia on 25 and 26 May 2011 to review the progress of the Sharm El Sheikh Plan of Action adopted at the XV Summit of Heads of State and Government of NAM held on July 2009 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and to prepare for the upcoming NAM Summit in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, in 2012.
The Ministers present expressed their determination to preserve the value of the Badung Principles and the purposes and principles of NAM, as agreed in the Declaration on the Purposes and Principles and the Role of NAM in the Present International Juncture, adopted in the 14th NAM Summit in Havana, Cuba.
The Ministers discussed a vast range of topics including: promotion and preservation on multilateralism, cultural diversity, right to self-determination, disarmament and international terrorism, disarmament, North-South Dialogue and Cooperation and the role of regional organizations. The Ministers of NAM insisted on the urgent need for a structural reform of the United Nations, focusing on the equitable representation and the increase of members of the Security Council.
The NAM Ministerial Conference dedicated a special section on Palestine and the Political Prisoners. The Minister conveyed their strong support for the need to raise awareness of and internationalize the issue of Palestinian political prisoners. There are currently 6,000 Palestinians held in 22 prisons and detention camps in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. 300 of these prisoners are children under the age of 18, 37 are women, and 10 are members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The ministers condemned the holding of prisoners as a contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Minister expressed concern due to the fact that prisoners are denied access to legal counsel as well as family visits, contrary to international humanitarian and human rights law. The Palestinian Foreign Minister Mr. Riyad Malki emphasized that NAM is “crucial to the independence of Palestine.”
The Ministers present welcomed the Bali Declaration and manisfested expressions of hope for the future of NAM. “We have adopted the Bali Declaration that sets out our vision for the next 50 years,” Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said in a joint press briefing with current NAM chair Nabil Al-Araby, foreign minister of Egypt.
The NAM Ministerial Conference welcomed 95 of 118 member countries, 13 observers, 27 guest countries, and 23 guest international organizations. The Republic of Azerbaijan and Fiji were officially welcomed as the 119th and 120th NAM Members.