Non-Aligned Movement and the Struggle Against Apartheid

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Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 18/84 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid; Chhabra, Hari Sharan Publisher United Nations, New York Date 1984-11-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1961 - 1984 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID PRIOR TO THE FIRST NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT IN BELGRADE. THE BELGRADE SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED, 1961. FOUNDING OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY. THE CAIRO SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED, 1964. THE LUSAKA SUMMIT, 1970. THE ALGIERS SUMMIT, 1973. THE COLOMBO SUMMIT, 1976. THE HAVANA SUMMIT, 1979. THE NEW DELHI SUMMIT, 1983. EFFORTS OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AT ISOLATING SOUTH AFRICA IN THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. Format extent 23 page(s) (length/size)

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http://www.aluka.org UNITED NATIONS

UNITED NATIONS CENTRE AGAINST APARTHEID NOTES AND DOCUMENTS* NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID by Hart Sharan Chhabra Noverber 1984 ...... , ;'.'ED IT , MAY - 6 1985 !Note: Mr. Chhabra is the editor of Africa Diary published in New Delhi, India. He has written extensively on African issues. The views expressed in this paper-are those of the aiithir_./ *All material in these Notes and Documents may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgement, together with a copy of the publication containing the reprint, would be apprpciated. United Nations, New York 10017 38/84

I. NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID PRIOR TO THE FIRST NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT IN BELGRADE The spirit of freedom and equality burns fierce in the human heart, yet there is no lack of agents to suppress it. Even in the last quarter of the twentieth century, with its mind-boggling technological advances, where the equality of all men has come to be accepted as an undisputed norm, in one corner of the world, in South Africa, prevails a system based on the outdated concept of the supremacy of one particular race over the others. And the hateful system of apartheid remains as un ugly scab on the face of humanity, deriving sustenance from the paltry economic and other narrow interests of its few powerful backers. But peoples who once underwent the ignominy of being a subject race and who had to fight bitterly to throw off the colonial yoke cannot bear the persistence of apartheid. It is no wonder, then, that the Non-Aligned Movement, which brings together nations that have experienced the humiliation of subjugation and the thrill of attaining freedom, should fight to free the black majority in South Africa from the racial burden of apartheid. The Non-Aligned Movement, founded on the principle of equality of nations and men, has striven for the elimination of all forms of colonialism, exploitation and discrimination. It believes with firm conviction that the policies of racial discrimination as institutionalized by the Government of South Africa, so as to subjugate the black population politically and economically for the benefit of the white minority, are repugnant to the conscience of mankind, violate the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and are contrary to the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations. Even before the Non-Aligned Movement took formal shape, liberation of the people of South Africa from the clutches of white minority rule and the establishment of a non-racial democratic society in which all men and women would live in dignity and as equal citizens had been the desire of the freedom- loving peoples of Asia, Africa and elsewhere. As early as 1927, at the International Congress Against Imperialism held in Brussels, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and others championed the cause of freedom and equality. Mahatama Gandhi's 20 years' sojourn in racist South Africa, where he fought for the rights of the blacks, is a saga in the history of the struggle against racial discrimination. In his address to the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi on 23 March 1947, Pandit Nehru said: "We of Asia have a special responsibility to the people of Africa. We must help them to their rightful place in the human family". Through this historic clarion call, an Asian leader for the first time expressed Asia's solidarity with the people of Africa. A background paper on racial problems prepared for the Conference, though it did not specifically mention South Africa by name, said that "the concepts of racial superiority and practices of racial discrimination were relentlessly being swept into the dustbin of history" and that the searching review that was being made of them at the United Nations and to a certain degree in this Conference "was already fixing their allotted place in the museum of the obsolete". Bandung Conference At the Asian-African Nations Conference held from 18 to 24 April 1955, often called the Bandung Conference after its location, the obnoxious racial policies of South Africa came in for strong condemnation. The Conference was organized on the initiative of Indonesia and supported by Burma, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. It was attended by 24 other Asian and African countries. The Conference reflected the dissatisfaction of the sponsors with what they regarded as a reluctance of the Western Powers to consult them on matters concerning Asia and Africa. The purpose of the Conference was also to mobilize the forces of Asia and Africa to promote peace and freedom. It was the presence at the Conference of two South African revolutionary leaders, Moses Kotane and Maulvi I.A. Cachalia, which in many ways focused world attention on the cause of the struggle against apartheid. From then on the struggle began receiving more and more support in Asia and Africa and in the rest of the world. At Bandung, Kotane and Cachalia met Prime Minister Nehru and President Nasser and through them were introduced to the other leaders who attended the Conference. In a 32-page memorandum to the Conference, the two South African leaders appealed to the Asian and African delegates: "to use their good offices internationally to persuade other civilized and freedom loving nations of the world to prevail on the Government of the Union of South Africa to abandon its unjust and disastrous policy of apartheid and racial discrimination. We are convinced and confident that the Government of South Africa could be forced to reconsider its reactionary and inhuman policy if all the nations who do not approve of policies and practices of racial oppression and discrimination, particularly the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom, would boldly take a firm stand against such practices". In his inaugural address, the then Prime Minister of Indonesia, Ali Sastroamidjojo, in his capacity as the President of the Bandung Conference said: "Next to colonialism, we meet racialism as an important source of tension. Racialism in fact is often if not always one aspect of colonialism based on feelings of superiority of the dominating group. Discrimination, however, based on differences of colour is contrary to the fundamental human rights and to the essential equality of mankind, as rightly expressed in the Charter of the United Nations". President Nasser told the Conference that the treatment by any State of any national ethnic group had ceased to be a matter of domestic jurisdiction as certain States advocated. It has become a question of international jurisdiction and a matter of world concern. He quoted the United Nations Commission on Racial Situation in the Union of South Africa, which said: "The doctrine of racial superiority on which the apartheid policy was based, is scientifically false, extremely dangerous to international peace and security and contrary to the dignity and worth of the human person". At the concluding session of the Conference Pandit Nehru said: "We have passed resolutions about conditions in this or that country. But I think there is nothing more terrible than the infinite tragedy of Africa in the past few hundred years. Everything else pales into insignificance when I think of the infinite tragedy of Africa ever since the days when millions of Africans were carried away as galley slaves to America and elsewhere, half of them dying in the galleys. We must accept responsibility for it, all of us, even though we ourselves were not directly involved. But unfortunately, in a different sense, even now the tragedy of Africa is greater than that of any other continent, whether it is racial or political. It is up to Asia to help Africa to the best of her ability because we are sister continents". In its final declaration, the Conference said under the heading Human Rights and Self-determination: "The Asian-African Conference deplored the policies of'racial segregation and discrimination which form the basis of government and human relations in large regions of Africa and other parts of the world. Such conduct is not only a gross violation of human rights, but also a denial of fundamental values of civilization and the dignity of man.

"The Conference extended its warm sympathy and support for the courageous stand taken by the victims of racial discrimination, especially by the peoples of African and Indian and Pakistani origin in South Africa, applauded all those who sustained their cause, reaffirmed the determination of Asian and African peoples to eradicate any trace of racism that might exist in their own countries and pledged to use its full moral influence against the danger of falling victims of the same evil in the struggle to eradicate it". II. THE BELGRADE SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED, 1961 After the Bandung Conference, following detailed discussions and careful preparations, India, Yugoslavia and Egypt succeeded in setting up a Non- Aligned Movement, which held its first summit in Belgrade in September 1961. In the interim, the Asian and African countries remained active in denouncing apartheid, calling for action to be taken against the South African r~gime and extending support for the liberation struggle. At the United Nations, the question of racial discrimination in South Africa as it affected the people of Indian origin was brought to the fore in 1946 at the request of India, even before it attained independence. In 1952, the United Nations formally took up the broader issue of apartheid. Ever since, the United Nations has considered both questions under the heading: "Policies of Apartheid of the Government of South Africa". Inside Africa, the All African People's Conference, held in Accra in December 1958, endorsed the boycott campaign against South Africa by calling on all independent States and all members of the United Nations to impose economic sanctions against the racist r4gime in Pretoria. In June 1960, the Second Conference of Independent African States held in Addis Ababa adopted a resolution calling on member States to take a range of measures against South Africa, including severance of diplomatic relations and boycotting of South African ships and aircraft. The Conference also invited the Arab States to prevent Arab oil from being sold to South Africa. The struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa received urgent international attention after the Sharpeville massacre of March 1960. While there was a wave of anger in the countries of Asia and Africa and the media came out in strong condemnation of Pretoria's brutality, the United Nations Security Council called on the South African Government to initiate measures aimed at bringing about racial harmony and to abandon the policies of apartheid and racial discrimination.

By the time the first Non-Aligned Summit, attended by 25 countries, was held in Belgrade from 1 to 6 September 1961, the international community had become well aware of the repressive policies practised by South Africa. The two liberation movements of South Africa, the African National Congress of South Africa and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania attended as observers, and racial discrimination and apartheid was on the agenda of the Summit. The Belgrade Declaration stated: "The participants in the Conference resolutely condemn the policy of apartheid practised by the Union of South Africa and demand the immediate abandonment of this policy. They further state that the policy of racial discrimination anywhere in the world constitutes a grave violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". III. FOUNDING OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY Of the 25 participating countries at the Belgrade Summit, only 11 were from Africa. But when the Second Non-Aligned Summit met in Cairo from 5 to 10 October 1964, the composition of the Movement had changed, with Africans in a big majority. Of the 47 participants, 29 were African countries. Earlier, Africa had consolidated its international standing through the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963. Article III of the Charter of the Organization of African Unity Charter says inter alia: "Member States adhere to the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs of Member States, respect for territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, condemnation of political subversion, dedication to the emancipation of dependent African territories and international non-alignment". This dedication to non-alignment means that every African country is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, and all African countries, such as Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and others which became independent after the birth of the Organization of African Unity became members of the Movement automatically. After non-aligned Africa had given a much needed numerical strength to the Movement, all African issues, including the struggle against racial discrimination and apartheid, naturally acquired prominence at the succeeding Summits of the non-aligned.

IV. THE CAIRO SUMMIT OF THE NON-ALIGNED, 1964 At the Cairo Summit, the Organization of African Unity was accorded the importance that was its due, with its Secretary-General present as an observer. A special resolution was passed by the Summit to hail the formation of the Organization of African Unity, and the work of both the OAU Liberation Committee and the Special Bureau for the Application of Sanctions against South Africa was mentioned in the Declaration of the Summit. Decrying the policy of apartheid, the Cairo Declaration castigated South Africa's "friends and allies", particularly some "major Powers". The Cairo Declaration warned South Africa obliquely that if it continued with its racial policies, the non- aligned nations would not tolerate much longer its presence in the comity of nations. It read: "The Heads of State or Government declare that racial discrimination - particularly its most odious manifestation, apartheid - constitutes a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the principle of equality of peoples. Accordingly, all Governments still persisting in the practice of racial discrimination should be completely ostracized until they have abandoned their unjust and inhuman policies. In particular, the Governments and peoples represented at this Conference have decided that they will not tolerate much longer the presence of the Republic of South Africa in the comity of nations. The inhuman racial policies of South Africa constitute a threat to international peace and security. All countries interested in peace must, therefore, do everything in their power to ensure that liberty and fundamental freedoms are secured to the people of South Africa. "The Heads of State or Government solemnly affirm their absolute respect for the right of ethnic or religious minorities to protection in particular against the crimes of genocide or any other violation of a fundamental human right". On the issue of sanctions against South Africa, the Cairo Declaration stated the following: "l. The Conference regrets to note that the Pretoria Government's obstinancy in defying the conscience of mankind has been strengthened by the refusal of its friends and allies, particularly some major Powers, to implement United Nations resolutions concerning sanctions against South Africa.

"2. The Conference therefore: "(a) Calls upon all States to boycott all South African goods and to refrain from exporting goods, especially arms, ammunition, oil and minerals to South Africa; "(b) Calls upon all States which have not yet done so to break off diplomatic, consular and other relations with South Africa; "(c) Requests the Governments represented at this Conference to deny airport and overflying facilities to aircrafts and port facilities to ships proceeding to and from South Africa, and to discontinue all road or railway traffic with that country; "(d) Demands the release of all persons imprisoned, interned or subjected to other restrictions on account of their opposition to the policy of apartheid; "(e) Invites all countries to give their support to the special bureau set up by the Organization of African Unity for the application of sanctions against South Africa". THE LUSAKA SUMMIT, 1970 The Third Non-Aligned Summit was held in Lusaka in September 1970, after a break of six years. Among the 53 countries attending, the African group was 33 strong. The struggle against apartheid being uppermost in the mind of the Zambian hosts, the following were the broad features of the Lusaka Summit in relation to this struggle: (a) Meeting for the first time in a front-line State, the accent was on the southern African situation. The non-aligned countries sharpened their barbs in attacking South African racial policies. It helped to draw greater international attention to the problem of South Africa. There was also wider sympathy for Zambia which has been in the vanguard of the struggle against racism; (b) The United States, France, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and Japan were named and condemned for their political, economic and military collaboration with the Government of South Africa. "This encourages and incites the Pretoria Government to persist in its racial policy", the Declaration said. It urged the Government of the United Kingdom to reconsider forthwith its declared intention to resume the sale of arms to the racist regime;

(c) The Summit decided to impose an embargo on trade with the three enemies of Africa: Portugal, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia,to severe diplomatic relations with Portugal and South Africa, to deny landing rights and all facilities to any aircraft and vessel coming from or heading to these countries and to increase support and material aid to liberation movements through the Organization of African Unity; (d) The Lusaka Summit denounced South Africa's "outward-looking" foreign policy, through which the r6gime was trying to create a buffer zone of puppet States on its borders in order to defend and entrench apartheid; (e) For the first time, the Lusaka Summit had a long and separate resolution on the United Nations and its activities. It said that the leaders of delegations participating in the Conference rededicated themselves to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. They reaffirmed their deep conviction that the United Nations provides the most effective means to maintain and promote international peace and security, stengthen freedom and harmonize relations between States. The Declaration called on the Non-Aligned Countries to take joint action with the United Nations in regard to colonialism, South Africa and apartheid. Strengthening the efficacy of the United Nations was also stressed; (f) The Summit pointed out that, while the immediate danger of a conflict between the superpowers had lessened, the continued oppression and subjugation of the African people in South Africa by the racist and colonial minority r6gime posed a serious threat to international peace and security. It said: "The situation is becoming dangerously explosive as a result of the collusion between certain developed countries of the West and the racist minority r6gimes in this part of the world". V. THE ALGIERS SUMMIT, 1973 The membership of the Non-Aligned Movement had increased to 75 when they met at Algiers for the Fourth Summit in September 1973. Africans were 40 strong. The participants noted that over half of the countries of the world, representing the majority of the world population, were attending this Conference. "The number and the level of participants and the general tenor of the meeting are an indicator of the vitality and dynamism of non-alignment", it was stated in the Political Declaration of the Summit Conference. The Algiers Summit also noted that: "Since the Lusaka Conference, developments in the international situation have shown a stronger tendency towards peace in the developed world, whereas in other areas there are still sources of tension and wars which are becoming more acute because of deteriorating economic conditions in the developing countries". A significant advance in the non-aligned struggle against apartheid was the assertion made at the Algiers Summit to the effect that armed struggle was the only way to end colonial and racial discrimination. The Algiers Declaration said: "Having exhausted all peaceful means and faced with the tenancity of the colonial Powers and the collaboration of their protectors, including members of NATO (the United States, France, the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany), the oppressed nations have no recourse other than armed struggle as a way of eliciting respect for their rights to self-determination and independence". In this connection, the Algiers Summit noted that the colonialists continued their policy of aggression, domination and apartheid even after the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration on Southern Africa. The Algiers Summit observed that, following the Lusaka Non-Aligned Summit, the various liberation movements had scored several important victories; that in Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique, enormous regions had been liberated and a new life was being constructed, and in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, political and military struggles had become broader and more intense. The Summit also placed on record its appreciation of the decisions of the United Nations and certain other institutions to grant the status of observers to the liberation movements. The Algiers Declaration stated that "apartheid in South Africa is more than a system of racial discrimination; it is primarily a form of colonialism". It further stated that the strengthened military alliance (South Africa and Portugal) "has already made itself known in the frequent intervention of South African troops in Southern Rhodesia, Mozambique and Angola". Going a step further than the Declaration of the Cairo and Lusaka Summits which had called for the release of political prisoners in South Africa, the Algiers Summit viewed "with profound anxiety" the uninterrupted imprisonment for over ten years of the leaders of the liberation movement such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others. Serious concern was expressed by the Summit at the large-scale expansion of military means of South Africa throughout the region. It was noted that such expansion represented a danger to peace and security in Africa and in the world. Alarm was expressed at the increasingly frequent interventions by South Africa in support of other racist and colonial r4gimes in its neighbourhood. The Summit pledged itself to extend constant economic, diplomatic and moral support to independent neighbouring States exposed to the economic threats and subversive acts

-10- of racist white minority r4gimes in southern Africa. VI. THE COLOMBO SUMMIT, 1976 When the non-aligned countries met in Colombo for the Fifth Summit from 16 to 19 August 1976, the situation in southern Africa had radically changed with the independence of of Angola and Mozambique, much to the satisfaction of the front-line States and of the liberation movements. The non-aligned leaders felt that this improved situation provided new horizons for the liberation struggle in southern Africa. Of the 86 members participating in the summit, 48 were from Africa. The Colombo Summit, for the first time ever, dedicated a separate section in its Declaration to Africa's role in giving a firm anti-colonial and anti-racist content to the Movement. The section read: "The Conference noted that the identification of the African continent as a whole with non-alignment was a development of major significance in the history of non-alignment. Africa gave numerical strength to the Movement which contributed to making it a powerful force in the United Nations. "Africa gave a firm anti-colonial and anti-racist content to the Movement. As a continent which has suffered from Big Power deals, and from the worst ravages of slavery and colonialism, it brought out most sharply the prerequisites of a new international order. As the continent with the largest number of least developed countries, and one which suffered the enormous Sahel famine, it gave impetus to the demands for a New International Economic Order. In Africa, in short, is the acid test of the success of international efforts towards a new order based on human dignity and human well-being the world over. Africa must, therefore, remain a special concern for the Non-Aligned Movement. "The emancipation of Africa, the ending of racial discrimination against people of African origin all over the world, the protection of Africa from the rivalries of external Powers, the denuclearization of Africa, and international co-operation for the economic and social development of Africa, should not be merely of regional or continental concern, but the priorities of the Non-Aligned Movement and of the United Nations". The Colombo Summit, endorsing United Nations General Assembly resolution 3379 (XXX), which determined that "zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination", recommended to all States that had not already done so to take prompt measures to subscribe to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and to the International Convention on the Suppression and

-11- Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid as a means of reinforcing international action against racism and zionism. The summit clubbed South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and Israel for their collusion in perpetuating racism. With the Portuguese Territories in Africa gaining independence in 1975 and 1976, Portugal's name was removed from the "unholy' alliance. In its strong criticism of the racist rdgime of South Africa, the Colombo Summit stated: OThe Conference reaffirmed that the minority racist r6gime of South Africa was not only unrepresentative of the people, but had been declared by the United Nations General Assembly, in resolution 3411G (XXX), to be illegitimate. The policy of apartheid practised by it is an international crime. It is the bastion of racism and colonialism in South Africa and a grave menace to peace in the region. In this respect, the Conference hailed the timely and valid decision taken by the United Nations General Assembly at the 29th regular session, excluding the South African delegation from participating in the Assembly proceedings". The Summit deplored the fact that France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America continued to give moral support and encouragement to the racist r~gimes by economic, military and other types of collaboration with those r6gimes and by continued refusal to support the liberation movements in their legitimate struggle. The growing support for the cause of liberation in South Africa by the non-aligned and Socialist States as well as by a number of Western States, particularly the Nordic countries and the Netherlands which had made generous contributions to humanitarian causes and rendered assistance to the oppressed people and their liberation movements, was noted with satisfaction. This was the first time that the non-aligned were making such a laudatory reference to Socialist and some Western countries. Here it needs to be noted that while the non-aligned countries are worried about the super power hegemony, they have made a clear distinction between certain NATO countries which aid and abet apartheid, and the Socialist countries which by helping the liberation struggle are trying to destroy the system of apartheid. The Colombo Summit also recognized the important role played by the United Nations in regard to the elimination of the evil of apartheid, especially the role played by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. But the Declaration also noted that the effectiveness of the United Nations has been limited because of the attitudes of a few Western Powers which continue to collaborate with Pretoria. The Colombo Summit expressed particular concern at the growing nuclear and military collaboration of certain Governments with the apartheid r~gime. It condemned the recently concluded deal by the French Government to provide nuclear reactors to South Africa. The Conference

-12- further called upon member States to separately and collectively impose such sanctions, including oil embargo against France and Israel, for persistently violating United Nations General Assembly resolutions against the supply of arms to the South African r4gime. The impressive work done by the Colombo Summit on the liberation of southern Africa was also reflected in a resolution on South Africa, which specifically dealt with Namibia, The Solidarity Fund for the Liberation of Southern Africa, non- recognition of South African bantustans, and apartheid in sports. In Colombo, the non-aligned for the first time adopted a resolution on the isolation of South Africa in the world of sports, which read as follows: "Recalling the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on apartheid in sports, fully endorsing the Olympic principle of non-discrimination in sports, "Recognizing the importance of the boycott of South African sports teams, selected on the basis of apartheid, in the international campaign against apartheid, "Commending all Governments, sports bodies and individual sportsmen who have boycotted South African sports teams, "Welcoming the proposal made by Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica for an International Convention against Apartheid in Sports, "Noting that this proposal has been endorsed by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid, and the Organization of African Unity, as well as by the International Seminar for the Eradication of Apartheid and in Support of the Struggle for Liberation in South Africa, held in Havana in May 1976, "Considering that effective measures must be taken, as a matter of priority in the Decade for Action against Racism and Racial Discrimination, to abolish apartheid in all fields, The Non-Aligned Summit: 1. "Calls on all Governments, sports bodies and invididual sportsmen to boycott all sports exchanges with South Africa; 2. "Endorses the proposal by the Prime Minister of Jamaica as a declaration of this Conference: 3. "Requests the Non-Aligned Group at the United Nations to give urgent consideration to the formulation of an International Convention against Apartheid in Sports for approval by the General Assembly."

-13- VII. THE HAVANA SUMMIT, 1979 Before the Sixth Non-Aligned Summit met in Havana in September 1979, a Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs was held in July 1978 in Belgrade. It was an important event because in its Declaration, the ministerial meeting expressed its satisfaction at the result of the fifteenth summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity held in Khartoum. It recalled in particular the resolution of the Organization of African Unity on the common African strategy to consolidate the Non-Aligned Movement. This resolution called on States members of the Organization of African Unity to play an important role within the Movement and promote solidarity among non-aligned countries. The Non- Aligned Movement, the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity working with unity of purpose are today an important factor in international affairs. The Foreign Ministers of the non-aligned countries also held a special session in Maputo, a few months before the Havana Summit in order to analyze the explosive situation in southern Africa. The meeting reiterated the collective solidarity and unflinching support of the non-aligned countries to the peoples of southern Africa "at this critical and decisive phase in their struggle for freedom from colonialism, racism, racial discrimination and apartheid". When the Sixth Non-Aligned Summit met in Havana in September 1979, the non- aligned were convinced that the decisive stage in the struggle for liberation in southern Africa had began. They decided to admit the Patriotic Front of Zimbabwe and the South West Africa Peoples' Organization (SWAPO) as full members of the Movement. 1/ The Havana Summit commended the Africans for the unswerving struggle they were waging for their full and complete independence and recognized the role that the non-aligned countries, the United Nations, the Organization of African Unity, the Socialist countries, the Scandinavian countries and other democratic and progressive forces play in supporting the struggle, especially in terms of aid given to the people of Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. The Havana Summit declared that southern Africa as a whole constituted one single theatre of operation in which apartheid South Africa was the central strategic issue: "Freedom, peace, security and progress cannot be achieved in southern Africa unless the apartheid system of institutionalized racial discrimination, exploitation and oppression is crushed and replaced by a democratic State, whose policy will conform to the principles of the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations.". The Summit noted that the apartheid r6gime had increased its repressive, aggressive and expansionist tendencies since the defeat of Portuguese colonialism. It denounced the systematic aggression against

-14- the independent States of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia in retaliation for the support these countries have given to the freedom fighters. The Summit viewed the Security Council's imposition of an arms embargo against South Africa through a resolution in 1977 as an important measure and called for an improved formulation of the resolution on the arms embargo so as to close the loopholes. It also called for improved Security Council machinery and procedures that would "ensure strict compliance with the arms embargo". VIII. THE NEW DELHI SUMMIT, 1983 The period between the Havana Summit and the seventh summit of the Non-Aligned held in March 1983 in New Delhi saw a marked deterioration of the international political climate. "The crisis in the process of d4tente has once again posed a threat to world peace and stability", it was stated at the Conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement, held in New Delhi in February 1981. There was a resurgence of the cold war. The ministerial conference cited Africa, particularly southern Africa, South-West Asia, South-East Asia, Caribbean and Central America as the focal points of aggression and tension where "forces hostile to the emancipation of peoples continued to infringe the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries and the right of people under alien and colonial domination, to self-determination and independence". The grave concern of the seventh summit over the disturbed international situation was reflected in its Declaration concerning South Africa and the struggle against apartheid. It stated that the continued collaboration of certain Western countries and Israel with the r6gime in Pretoria in nuclear, as well as in economic matters have encouraged it in its intransigence. Expressing deep regret that the Security Council has time and again been prevented from imposing comprehensive and mandatory economic sanctions on South Africa under Chapter VII of the Charter, the summit called for a cessation of all assistance by the International Monetary Fund and other specialized agencies of the United Nations to South Africa, as such assistance and credits had been used by the Pretoria rigime to meet its increasing expenditure for military and repressive purposes directed against the majority population. The Conference condemned the United States policy of "constructive engagement", as aimed at countering the international campaign for the total isolation of apartheid South Africa. It stated that the public proclamation of the racist Pretoria r4gime as friend and ally has

-15- encouraged that r4gime in its intensified repression of the South African people, its escalating aggression against its neighbours and its determined intransigence over Namibian independence. In its Political Declaration, the New Delhi Summit expressed its "solidarity with and strong support for the struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa led by their authentic representatives - the national liberation movements - using all means at their disposal". The Non-Aligned Movement reaffirmed that the liberation movements recognized by the Organization of African Unity- the African National Congress of South Africa and the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania - are the authentic representatives of the overwhelming majority of the South African people. Furthermore, the New Delhi Summit "urged member States of the Non-Aligned Movement and the international community to increase their assistance to the liberation movements of South Africa recognized by the Organization of African Unity, to enable them to further intensify the struggle". IX. EFFORTS OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT AT ISOLATING OOUTH AFRICA IN THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Regional colour The Non-Aligned Movement is a large organization with members from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. But amidst the vast diversity in thinking and ideological processes of the Member States, the quintessence of the policy of the Non-Aligned Movement is the struggle against colonialism, neo-colonialism and racism. Peace, disarmament, development and co-operation are ideals that interest the non-aligned countries as a whole. Regional issues, however, need in- depth attention from the regional groups. With the growth of the membership of the Movement, the regional groups - African, Arab, Latin American and South- East Asian have come to assume greater importance. The African Group especially stands out among the regional groups, not merely for its numerical strength, but because it functions very effectively. For that matter, the African Group is very important in the United Nations as well. The African Group functions in a unique manner. While most such regional groups do not consider substantive questions, the African Group works as sort of a spokesman for the Organization of African Unity, with a view to getting the decisions of the Organization of African Unity fully endorsed.

-16- Both in the Non-Aligned Movement and in the United Nations, the African Group tends to play an extremely active role on African issues, especially on southern Africa. It often presents texts of possible positions which serve as the basis for the non-aligned declarations and resolutions. The African Group became increasingly important beginning with the Colombo Summit in 1976. As a result of it, the Colombo Summit dedicated a lot of attention to Africa and African issues. The African continent and the Organization of African Unity show remarkable unity on the question of apartheid and Namibia. For example, the mood in Africa around the time of the New Delhi Summit was one of anger against the United States because President Ronald Reagan had just prior to the Summit described South Africa as a "friend and ally". As a result of this development, the African Group insisted on the stronger language in the draft resolutions submitted to the Summit, condemning the support extended to the apartheid rigime by the United States and some other Western countries. The Heads of State and Government participating at the Summit adopted the resolutions on South Africa and Namibia as part of the New Delhi Declaration by consensus. The Non-Aligned Movement at the United Nations From its very inception, the Non-Aligned Movement has been calling for the promotion of the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. It was only at the Lusaka Summit in 1970, however, that the need for strengthening the role of the Non-Aligned Movement within the United Nations became part of the Summit Declaration. Since Lusaka, the non-aligned have been meeting regularly at United Nations Headquarters. In addition to the regular meetings of the Co-ordinating Bureau, every year the non-aligned meet at the ministerial level at the time of the regular session of the United Nations General Assembly for detailed evaluation of the international situation and for a survey of political and economic matters concerning the developing world. Communiqu4s issued after the annual ministerial conferences of the non-aligned reflect the concern of the Movement over the policies of apartheid of the Pretoria r4gime. The papers on this question are prepared in close co-operation with both the African Group at the United Nations and the Special Committee against Apartheid. 2/ In its quest for the promotion of peace and security, the Non-Aligned Movement seeks to strengthen the hands of the United Nations as an instrument for the attainment of these aims. But while it is easy enough for the non-aligned countries to have their say on the struggle against apartheid in the United Nations General Assembly because there they are in the majority, in the Security Council many compromises have to be made to avoid the use of a veto by some of its permanent members.

-17- The non-aligned countries regularly take an active part in the meetings of the Special Committee against Apartheid called in observance of the international days related to the anti-apartheid struggle. 3/ These observances represent an opportunity for all the freedom-loving forces to rededicate themselves to the just struggle of the people of South Africa. The diplomats representing the non-aligned countries at the United Nations and many others worked closely together to have the United Nations General Assembly reject, on 15 November 1983, the South African so-called constitutional proposals and all insidious manoeuvres by the racist minority r4gime of South Africa to further "entrench white minority rule and apartheid". 4/ Declaring that the so-called "constitutional proposals" were contrary to the principles of the United Nations Charter, the resolution also declared that the proposed constitution would "inevitably aggravate tension and conflict in South Africa and in southern Africa as a whole". 5/ On 28 September 1984, the United Nations General Assembly rejected as null and void the so-called "new constitution" by the racist r4gime in South Africa, which was intended to divide the black majority by granting limited right to vote for only a limited segment of the oppressed population and Indian origin, but barred the African majority. In the various specialized agencies of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement has made every effort to isolate South Africa and to expose its obnoxious policies. It started with the expulsion of the racist rigime from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1964. Since then, the International Labour Organisation has been closely watching trade union activity in South Africa and has been referring matters to the United Nations Secretary- General whenever the trade union rights of the workers as embodied in the Constitution of the International Labour Organisation were infringed upon through repressive measures. The Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, in his special report on the application of the Declaration concerning the Policy of Apartheid in South Africa, issued in June 1982, expressed concern over the deteriorating labour relations in South Africa. The findings of this report, as well as other reports on curbs on trade union activity, led to the vote by the International Organization of Employers (IEO) to expel South Africa on 31 May 1983. This decision was made possible by a majority vote of the members of the Non- Aligned Movement within this organization. Over the years the International Organization of Employers has been closely associated with the International Labour Organisation. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), pressed by the non-aligned majority among its membership, has over the years condemned South Africa's policies of racial discrimination. In 1976, a UNESCO resolution requested all Governments and organizations to refrain from relations with the institutions or authorities of the South African bantustans, in particular the Transkei, and to refuse to recognize them in any way whatsoever.

-18- On 30 November 1978, Namibia was made the 145th member State of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, on the basis of an application for membership made by the United Nations Council for Namibia. Namibia has been a member of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) since November 1977 and of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) since June 1978. South Africa has been out of these United Nations specialized agencies for a long time. Over the years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been concerned with health conditions in South Africa. A survey by the World Health Organization carried out at the request of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid in 1975, stated that health conditions in South Africa were such that they showed: "high standards of living and health care for the whites and varying degrees of poverty, squalor and disease for the remaining majority of population". The report revealed that the physician-to-population ratio for whites ranked among the world's best, amounting to 1 to 400, while the ratio for the black majority was in comparison only 1 to 44,000. The report by the World Health Organization stated that: "the health situation of the groups discriminated against by the policy of apartheid will not be likely to improve as long as that policy exists". Other United Nations bodies Under pressure from the non-aligned, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme overwhelmingly voted in favour of discontinuing all co-operation with South Africa. In the decision adopted on 29 April 1980, the Governing Council reaffirmed "the stand taken by the General Assembly and Security Council, as well as the Organization of African Unity, in condemning the unacceptable practices of the apartheid r6gime of South Africa". It also noted with concern that South Africa continued "to violate the principles of the United Nations Environment Programme by indulging in practices which do not conform to acceptable environmental standards, especially in the unplanned settlements, in the bantustan areas, thereby increasing the vulnerability of such areas, which are often chosen because of their poor ecology and fragile topography". 6/

-19- Sports boycott The whites in South Africa are known lovers of sports. The non-aligned countries have actively supported the efforts of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid and the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee to make appeals to sportsmen and sportswomen of the world for the total isolation of South Africa in sports. This isolation does hurt the white South Africans where they are very sensitive. The International Conference on Sanctions against Apartheid in Sport held in London from 27 to 29 June 1983 was organized by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid in co-operation with the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee. It was attended by delegates from many non-aligned countries. The Conference noted that three Governments - New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States - had failed to take adequate action against apartheid sport and were thereby endangering sport. It sent a message to John McEnroe, tennis star, congratulating him for refusing an offer of a large amount of money to play in South Africa. It was announced at the Conference that the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid would soon present citations to sportsmen and sportswomen who refused to visit South Africa and supported the campaign against apartheid sport. Anti-apartheid organizations and leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement still remember with great admiration India's refusal to play with South Africa in the Davis Cup finals in 1974. India had reached the Davis Cup finals for the first time in the 74-year history of this tournament, and by not playing racist South Africa it sacrificed its chances of winning the coveted Cup. It was for the first time in the history of the Davis Cup that the final was not played and the Cup was awarded to South Africa by default. When South Africa was not expelled from the Davis Cup competition because of the support it received from the United States and other Western countries, Austin Akosa of Nigeria, Secretary-General of the African Lawn Tennis Association, said: "The African countries are not pleased that South Africa is being allowed to the competition and I will not be surprised if they withdraw from the Davis Cup". The non-aligned nations were thrilled when in 1976 the Government of Mexico ordered the country's Davis Cup team not to meet South Africa in the North American Zone finals. Algeria and Nigeria had also withdrawn from the Davis Cup that year. On 16 April 1978, the International Tennis Federation ordered South Africa to withdraw from the Davis Cup. Soon after, South Africa was forced to withdraw from the Women's Federation Cup.

-20- South Africa has been expelled from many international sports competitions. In 1976, the Federration of International Football Association (FIFA) expelled South Africa from international soccer. The International Cricket Conference rejected in 1981 the efforts by South Africa to return to international cricket. India, Pakistan and the Caribbean States successfully foiled the efforts by the United Kingdom and New Zealand to restore the South African position. X. PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE From its very inception, the Non-Aligned Movement has demonstrated close commitment to the struggle against apartheid. Its stand has been consistent, uncompromising and principled. Along with the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, the non-aligned have endeavoured to ostracize the racist r~gime in South Africa for its inhuman policies which deny to the majority population the basic rights enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The triple- edged weapon in the hands of the non-aligned has been to isolate South Africa in the community of nations, to help the liberation movements and to try to enforce economic, oil and military sanctions against South Africa in order to force it to cease its barbarous practices against the black population. The non-aligned have concurred with the position taken by both the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity which have repeatedly expressed their conviction that Africa is not bending, but instead is becoming increasingly intransigent to the requests of the international community on account of the open support extended to it by the Western developed countries with considerable economic interests in the apartheid economy. Support, crucial to the maintenance of apartheid, has prolonged the just struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa against the evil system of apartheid. The validity of the concept of non-alignment and its relevance to the world situation is borne out by the fact that more and more countries are showing their eagerness to join the Non-Aligned Movement. The obstacles and the opposition the Movement had to face from a world attuned to great Power bloc politics has been largely overcome) its voice has begun to be heard and it is playing an important role in efforts to promote a new world order based on justice and equality. As the New Delhi Declaration said: "Non-aligned countries over the years have given expression to the legitimate rights and aspirations of their peoples to be free from relations of subordination and dependence and to shape their own destinies in accordance with their national aims and objectives. In expressing their international concerns they have also striven for the elimination of all forms of domination, discrimination,

-21- exploitation and inequality and for the establishment of a new world order based on respect for independence, equality and co-operation and the fulfillment of the aspirations of all peoples for justice, security, development and prosperity in place of the present order in which wealth continues to be concentrated in the hands of a few Powers to the detriment of the peoples of Africa, Asia, Latin America and other regions of the world". With this determination to build a new world order,, the struggle of the non- aligned against apartheid, together with the like-minded organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity is bound to succeed, resulting in the establishment of a society based on majority rule with equal participation of all people of South Africa, irrespective of race, colour or creed. Meanwhile, the struggle continues until victory is achieved. The world order does not change within years or decades. It takes enduring effort and struggle, born out of undying conviction for mankind to evolve a just and equitable order. But some day, sooner rather than later, the dilapidated bastion of apartheid must fall, so that the people of the entire continent of Africa and of the rest of the world can breathe in the spirit of freedom.

-22- Notes 1/ The Palestine Liberation Organization had been admitted to the Non-Aligned Movement at the Colombo Summit. 2/ The following Member States are members of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid: Algeria, German Democratic Republic, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic. 3/ The Special Committee against Apartheid annually observes, among others, the following international days: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), Soweto Day (16 June), International Day of Solidarity with the Struggle of Women of South Africa and Namibia (9 August) and Day of Solidarity the South African Political Prisoners (11 October). 4/ General Assembly resolution 38/11 of 15 November 1983. _/ Ibid. 6/ United Nations Environment Programme resolution 8/3 of 28 April 1980.