In a world where geopolitics are changing very rapidly, a youth fellowship in Egypt is bringing the principles of non-alignment movement to the spotlight by gathering 150 influential youth leaders from members countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The 3rd Nasser Fellowship for International Leadership Programmeme, NAM principles are at the core of the fellowship.
The event, held under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is themed ‘Non-Aligned Youths and South-South Cooperation’. Government ministers, MPs, NAM Youth Network representatives of the national branches of the civil society and activists are attending.
Speaking to the Egyptian Mail, Hassan Ali Ghazaly, who is the general coordinator of the programmeme, said that it was highly competitive, adding that all applications were reviewed thoroughly to ensure fair selection.
“The selection process is based on the principle of transparency that the vision of Egypt 2030 adopts. Since the first edition of the fellowship, we publish the lists of applicants who pass every qualifier phase,” he said.
The event began with a visit to the Museum of Leader Gamal Abdel Nasser as the fellowship carries his name. The museum tells through its contents the events of a difficult period in the history of Egypt and the Arab nation. The museum building was the home of Gamal Abdel Nasser.
After his death, the house was granted to his family by government decree. After the departure of Nasser’s widow, the building reverted back to state ownership.
By presidential decree, the house was converted into a museum, which was opened by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on September 28, 2016, coinciding with the 46th anniversary Nasser’s death.
The visit was followed by a major session in the presence of His Excellency Minister Mohamed Al-Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Plenipotentiary Munther Selim, Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political and Regional Groupings, Dr. Adel El-Adawy, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the American University, and Economic Adviser, Gamal Khaled Gamal Abdel Nasser, grandson of Nasser.
Highlighting the founders of NAM, the fellowship witnessed the presence of Ambassador Dominic Goh, Ambassador of Singapore to Egypt, along with Ambassador Ajit Gupti, Ambassador of India to Egypt. the Indian ambassador addressed the role of leader Nehru in the Non-Aligned Movement, reviewing the strong relationship between the Indian leader Nehru and President Gamal Abdel Nasser, explaining that India had played an important role in establishing the Aligned Movement as well. According to the ambassador, India has provided support to many countries and has become an effective participant, as India did not only get inspired by the strength of its leaders, but by many other leaders in the African continent who had a significant influence such as Nelson Mandela and Gamal Abdel Nasser.
He explained that despite the pressures they faced in India, they maintained their independence economically and intellectually by following the policy of strategic independence drawn by their predecessors, and they established partnerships with many countries.
For his part, the Singaporean ambassador highlighted the personality of the leader Lee Kuang Yew and his role in the Non-Aligned Movement, noting that the world has changed a lot, especially with the revolutionary movements, where there was a lot of racial discrimination.
The ambassador added that Lee Kuang Yew was very keen and interested in knowing how the world was developing and benefiting from those experiences in his country and decided to rely on industry and not just agriculture, explaining that Singapore had some terrorist movements emerging, which posed a challenge for the progress of these countries.
He also added that Lee Kuang Yew had spoken with Gamal Abdel Nasser and other leaders and made the decision that Singapore must join the Non-Aligned Movement in order to preserve their sovereignty and independence, stressing that when we talk about development and creating opportunities for the people to make progress; this took long times so that they could gain experience and take quick steps at the same time. This is what made them now able to invite foreign powers to invest in their country, especially in light of their keenness on creating inner peace so that they feel the security and safety necessary for economic progress and support for investment in their country.
Discussion about this post