President Cyril Ramaphosa to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement Online Summit COVID-19

Media Statements

Media Statement

04 May 2020

President Cyril Ramaphosa to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement Online Summit COVID-19

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Monday, 4 May 2020, participate in a virtual Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) entitled: “United against COVID-19” to be convened by the President of Azerbaijan, H.E Mr Ilham Aliyev, in his capacity as Chair of NAM.

Participants will be NAM Heads of State and Government from all geographical regions to be convened as the NAM Contact Group. South Africa, as Chairperson of the African Union, has been invited as one of the selected countries for the Africa region.

Representatives of the following organisations will participate in the Summit: The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

The virtual Summit will be an opportunity for the Movement to promote the values of international cooperation in ensuring a concerted and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The founding principles guiding NAM places multilateralism and global solidarity at the centre of responding to contemporary global challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

President Ramaphosa will use the opportunity to highlight South Africa and Africa’s response to the pandemic and call for countries of the NAM to use this crisis to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in the fight against COVID-19.

Outcomes of the Summit will include the adoption of a Declaration underlining the importance of international solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 and the establishment of a Task Force to develop a database reflecting the medical, social and humanitarian needs of NAM members in the fight against COVID-19.

Public enquiries: Presidential Hotline 17737

COVID-19 Specific enquiries: NICD Hotline 0800 0029 999

Media enquiries: Spokesperson to the President, Khusela Diko at media@presidency.gov.za

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

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