Global South NGO founding conference kicks off in Baku

The founding conference of the Global South NGO Platform has begun in Baku, Report informs.

The event brought together influential NGO leaders and civil society representatives from 116 countries in Baku.

The initiative to establish the Platform in November 2024 within the COP29 was put forward by the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan. This initiative has caused an international resonance in a short time. As a result, the COP29 NGO Coalition approached the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan with a proposal to establish this platform. For the first time, the initiative of Azerbaijani NGOs has received such broad global support.

Azerbaijan's active work during its chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, its important initiatives in the interests of a new and just world order, and the achievement of the so-called Baku breakthrough at COP29 have earned great respect for Azerbaijan in the countries of the Global South.

This event is assessed as a new stage in the development of civil society in Azerbaijan. The establishment of the Global South NGO Platform in Baku is another manifestation of Azerbaijan's role as a successful mediator and bridge between the Global North and the Global South. The Global South NGO Platform aims to actively support the presentation of the problems of the countries of this strategic region to the international level, to speak with a unified position in international organizations, including the UN, and to carry out global coordination. It will help to unite efforts to combat such manifestations of injustice as poverty, the effects of climate change, the colonial past, the digital divide, trade inequality and other challenges.

The platform will also promote South-South cooperation. As part of the two-day international conference entitled "Solidarity in Action: Strengthening Global South for a New and Fair World", representatives of the world's leading NGOs will speak, global discussions will be organized, and the importance of the historic Bandung Principles adopted 70 years ago in Indonesia will be emphasized.

These principles reject interference in the internal affairs of states, promote the construction of a world order based on justice and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, ensuring the equality of peoples, strengthening mutual interest, cooperation and economic well-being.

Photo: Samira Gasanova