Hundreds of delegates arrive for NAM conference
Workers put final touches on the refurbished Northern Bypass between Bwaise and Namungoona on January 8. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- Journalists were kept away from accessing the airport premises due to the tight security measures.
Hundreds of delegates in the category of senior officials primed to attend the 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that kicks off today, started arriving in the country yesterday.
At Entebbe International Airport where they landed, security was tight within and outside the landing strip, along with heavy deployment on major routes and the rest of the city.
Military personnel and police kept patrolling the premises, looking out for any suspicious activity.
Journalists were also kept away from accessing the airport premises due to the tight security measures.
Coasters branded with the 19th NAM and G77+ China Summit initials were spread throughout the packing space spots of the airport ready to transport the visitors to their places of abode.
On arrival, at their respective time intervals, Ugandan officials received some of them at the newly improved terminal building before driving them off to their designated hotels ahead of this week’s summit activities.
The guests are being housed in designated hotels spread out in the districts of Kampala and Wakiso.
Overall, between 1,000 and 1,500 delegates are expected to attend the event that runs from January 15 to January 23, at the Speke Resort Munyonyo. More arrivals of other guests including ministers of Foreign Affairs are expected in the week as the summit takes shape.
By January 12, 30 heads of state and government had confirmed attendance. These will arrive in the country on January 18 ahead of their sessions on that day and Friday.
The NAM Summit runs from January 15 to January 19 under the theme, “Deepening cooperation for shared global affluence”, while the G-77 plus China Summit takes place from January 20 to January 23, under the theme, “Leaving no one behind.”
The summits are the largest to be held in the country after the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) which saw the then Head of Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II of England, and delegations of the member countries of the Commonwealth attend the assembly.
On Sunday, responsible parties were conducting last-minute preparations to give the guests a well-deserved experience.
On Yusuf Lule Road, one of the main routes for the guests, mowing machines were running, along other roadworks.
