ifda dossier 74 - Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

continuously pursue its goals, vi~., as noted by Sauvant, a keen observer
of Third World organizations,
. organizational arrangements are required that offer the infrastruc-
ture for effective cooperation. These arrangements are the basis for
improved communication and intensified contacts among developing
countries, and the involvement of a growing number of countries into
matters of mutual interests (...). Horizontal communication becomes,
therefore, a prerequisite for sharpened awareness of issues of
common concern, the recognition and definition of common problems
and possibilities, the formation of common responses, and the pursuit
of coordinated policies.11
Much like the structure of many international organizations, the
Conference of Heads of States and Government which meets ap-
proximately every three years, is the principal organ of the NAM. This
is usually preceded by the preparatory conference of Foreign Ministers.
Next, in lieu of a permanent secretariat, the presiding country of a
summit carries out the coordination and implementation functions until
the next summit. The leader of the host country serves as the president-
in-office of the NAM during this period. As for the third main
component, the 1973 Fourth Conference at Algiers decided to add on
another institutional layer with the formation of a Co-ordinating Bureau
at the Ministerial Level, comprising 36 members and a Co-ordinating
Bureau at the level of Permanent Representatives. These co-ordinating
bureaux act as the executive branch of the NAM.
In addition to these main organs, there are also specialized Ministerial
Conferences to deal with specific areas, drawing on the deliberations of
Expert Groups; political working groups in the context of the UN which
arc given the task of preparing a common stand for the NAM on issues
arising; and Co-ordinator Countries for Economic Cooperation in 19
specialized fields, as of 1981, entrusted with the implementation of the
Action Program. An examination of the working groups in the UN in
New York and the fields of activity for the Action Program for
Economic Cooperation is sufficient to demonstrate the breadth of
concerns that the NAM is engaged in. In addition, ad hoc meetings,
symposia and seminars have been convened when there has been interest
on any specific matter which had yet to receive the NAM's attention.