Joyce Namugambe
As the country prepares to host delegates to be part of the Non Alignment Movement and G77 Summits, Civil Aviation Authority has revealed preparations for a dry run aimed at simulating the facilitation of guests to the Non Alignment Movement and G77 summits through Entebbe International airport which is scheduled today, Sunday 17th December 2023.
This comes at a time when the country is preparing for the NAM and G77 summits due to take place next year. This summit had to take place sometime back but was postponed due to the Covid 19 outbreak.
The spokesperson for Civil Aviation Authority Vianney Luggya revealed that in the light of the fact that the activity may have an impact on Entebbe road traffic.
CAA advises departing passengers to plan for more time so as not to miss flights. Entebbe road is likely to be busier than usual.
Vianney emphasized that the road leading to the airport is likely to be busier than usual therefore it would be better for departing passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours prior to their flight scheduled time to avoid inconveniences.
Meanwhile, Traffic on Entebbe road from Queens ways up to Kibuye was diverted to Katwe .
The Entebbe international Airport that is managed by the CAA under the leadership of the Director General (DG) Mr.Fred Bamwesigye has undergone facelift and infrastructure expansion to meet the growing needs of international and local travelers . Entebbe International Airport is anticipated to handle 6.1 million passengers and 172,000t of cargo a year by 2033.
Uganda is just a month away to host the 19th Non – Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit as well as the Group of 77 (G-77) plus Chona Third South Summit on January 15-23, 2024. After the summits Uganda will assume chairmanship of the two groups until 2026.
The NAM concept was hatched at the Afro-Asian conference in 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. At the same conference, ten principles known as the Bandung principles were adopted to guide the operations of the new international bloc.
NAM was founded with the view of advancing the interests of developing countries in the context of Cold War confrontations. As of now, NAM consists of 120 countries that are neither pro-east nor pro-west. These include 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 2 from Europe.
On the other hand, the G77, also known as the Group of Seventy Seven was established by seventy-seven developing countries signatories to the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva on 15 June 1964.
Overtime, membership in the G77 has increased from the original 77 to 134 countries of the global south. However, the original name was retained due to its historic significance.
