Help UN on reform bid, Annan urges NAM

United Nations, May 30 (UNI) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which gives voice to developing countries and advance a more democratic international order, must move forward with it towards their shared goals.

In a message delivered yesterday to the NAM Coordinating Bureau Ministerial Meeting held in Putra Jaya, Malaysia, Mr Annan said he counted on the movement's support for UN reform.

Former Indian envoy to the United Nations Mr Vijay Nambiar, who is currently Annan's special adviser, delivered the message.

Its backing for the recent peace agreement in Sudan and for elections in Haiti ''illustrates the crucial and constructive role you can and must play in promoting peace and security in our world,'' the UN chief said.

Emphasising that the global body exists to ''give voice to the principles of the Charter,'' Mr Annan said, ''It is in your movement's interest to see the UN work efficiently and effectively towards this goal. Working together, we can achieve great progress, and make a real difference in the lives of those who need it most: the peoples whom the Non-Aligned Movement represents.'' He said despite changes in recent decades, the movement's underlying goals of giving voice to the developing world, and spreading a just and democratic order remain as relevant as ever.

''You are fighting poverty and underdevelopment and are concerned about the spread of infectious disease and environmental degradation. You are committed to ending conflict and to securing your independence, as well as to checking the spread of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction,'' Mr Annan told the participants.

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