Question

In which city was the first Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held?

• A. Belgrade
• B. Bandung
• C. Tokyo
• D. Delhi

Hint:

Remember: Bandung (1955) was the “conception” of Afro-Asian unity, whereas Belgrade (1961) was the official “birth” and first formal summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Origins of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM):
The roots of NAM lie in the Bandung Conference of 1955, where Asian and African leaders met to promote South-South cooperation and voice their resistance to colonialism and Cold War military alliances. However, the formal institutionalization of the Non-Aligned Movement as a global diplomatic force occurred a few years later.

Step 2: The First Summit:
The first formal conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries was organized in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961. It was hosted by President Josip Broz Tito and was attended by key leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Sukarno (Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana).

Step 3: Evaluating the Options:

• Belgrade (A): Correct, as it was the official venue of the first NAM summit in 1961.
• Bandung (B): Incorrect; Bandung hosted the Afro-Asian Conference in 1955, which laid the ground/ideology for NAM but was not the first official NAM summit.
• Tokyo (C) and Delhi (D): Incorrect, as they did not host the inaugural summit. Hence, Option (A) is correct.