Identity and Validity
The political, social, economic and technological changes that have taken place in the three decades since India won independence confirm the continuing relevance and validity of non-alignment. The global political situation, particularly the emergence of a fragile and limited detente, has emphasised the need to further strengthen the unity and cohesiveness of the nonaligned movement as an important factor in the process of stabilisation and democratisation of international relations.
The non-aligned countries have contributed in no small measure to the emergence of detente. They have provided an area of peace in a world divided sharply into blocs, and must now continue their efforts to ensure that the gains of detente are consolidated and spread to all parts of the world.
Given the continued relevance of our movement, our immediate interest lies in identifying the areas of direct concern to the non-aligned, in assuring the contribution of our movement in these areas, and in a realistic appraisal of the tasks that still lay ahead.
On the political side, an important issue continues to be the question of decolonisation and the liberation of peoples still suffering the burden of racism, racialism and apartheid. The success of the movement in this area has been so far considerable. The phenomenal increase in the membership of the non-aligned movement from twenty-five at the first summit held in Belgrade in 1961 to eighty-four at the Lima Conference of Foreign Ministers of non-aligned countries held in 1975, has been due in large measure to the liberation of a growing number of countries from colonial rule.
Colonial empires of the nineteenth century continue to crumble and the fifth summit, being held in Colombo in August, 1976, will see the admission of three more erstwhile colonies as full members, namely, Angola, Comoros and Seychelles. Nonetheless, pockets of colonialism remain scattered around the globe, though it is a matter of gratification that in some cases the colonial power itself has indicated its willingness to withdraw from the territory.