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CARACAS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela will take over the rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with the aim of strengthening the international body and use it to try and transform the UN system.
The country will receive the presidency from the hands of Iran at the XVII NAM Summit, to be held on Sept. 13-18 on the Venezuelan island of Margarita, the country's most important tourism destination.
Venezuela, which has long expressed its desire to see NAM help to build a multipolar world, will have the challenge of maintaining the group's unity in a complex international scene.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, speaking on Thursday, said "we have a plan to jointly drive ... this great historic movement and convert it into a spearhead to reform the system of the UN, so that it serves the people and not the elites of the world."
NAM has 120 countries and is focused on self-determination, national independence, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its members.
The group played a fundamental role during the Cold War and pushed for the establishment of a new international economic order, which would allow the peoples of the world to enjoy its natural wealth and resources.
It has also long advocated for a broad platform to let countries in the southern hemisphere enjoy full economic emancipation.
Since its foundation, NAM has never aligned with any one power and has maintained a neutral position in conflicts.
