Bandung Spirit is 70 Years Old

The Asian-African Conference, referred to as the Bandung Conference, emerged as a beacon ofhope in a post-war world fraught with conflict between two political-ideological extremes, wherethe remnants of pre-war devastation remained and colonialism persisted. The Final Declarationof the Conference, ratified on April 24, 1955, is the essential text that influenced the frameworkof the post-colonial international community. The core tenets of the Final Declaration encompassthe eradication of colonialism, the sovereignty and parity of nations regardless of size, economicand cultural collaboration, resistance to racial discrimination, the right to self-determinationfor nations, and the promotion of peaceful coexistence. In the latter part of the 20th century,humanity significantly eradicated harsh colonialism, narrowed the disparity between small andlarge nations to a degree, and enhanced economic and cultural collaboration among developingcountries. In the latter half of the 20th century, the Bandung spirit, which originated the Non-Aligned Movement, is currently invigorating new regional organizations. Entities like BRICS,which challenge dollar supremacy and U.S. hegemony while advocating for a new internationalorder, along with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), focused on combating terrorismand extremism, and numerous regional organizations, both large and small, remain influenced bythe Bandung Spirit.