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MANILA, Philippines—The government has postponed to an indefinite date next year its hosting of the Special Non-Aligned Movement Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development scheduled this December here after successive typhoons hit the country.
“While we remain committed to the cause of peace through interfaith dialogue, our priority now should be the immediate and long term needs of our people,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement announcing the postponement.
“We believe all hands must be on deck in the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the lives and communities of our countrymen. Therefore, all must focus their efforts and resources on this major and substantial task,” it added.
Among the tasks on hand for the government following the disasters brought by Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) and Pepeng (international name: Parma) are providing relief and assistance to the thousands of victims in the short term, and rebuilding, reconstructing, and rehabilitating the communities in the long term.
The DFA said the postponement was done after consultation with NAM friends and partners who have chosen the Philippines to host the special meeting. The consultation was coursed through Egypt, which chairs the NAM Coordinating Bureau in New York.
Created after World War II in 1955, NAM is n international organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc during the Cold War.
