The First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1961, was one significant occasion where newly liberated countries sought to maintain their independence from major powers.  It was spearheaded by Ghana, led by President Kwame Nkrumah; India, under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru; Indonesia, with President Sukarno; the United Arab Republic (now Egypt), represented by President Gamal Abdel Nasser; and Yugoslavia, led by President Josip Broz Tito.  The summit attracted twenty-five countries that shared a vision for a world where peace, security, and cooperation could flourish without the interference of colonial powers.

More than just a collection of diplomats, it represented the collective aim of a varied group of countries to achieve common goals, despite their differing political and ideological backgrounds. The urgency that made these leaders attend this gathering stemmed from issues like colonialism, economic development, political stability, and social justice. They also called for better relations between the two main Cold War blocs (the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc) to create a new international order based on equality as well as mutual respect.

The assortment of archives is an all-encompassing storage of this historical event, which not only contains texts and photographs but also audio records and films that provide a comprehensive and multidimensional view of the discussions that took place. These archives are therefore a valuable source of information about the motivations, strategies, and outcomes of the meeting.

One interesting element about the Belgrade Summit is how it laid down the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement to act as a crusader for disarmament and economic justice. The subsequent summits, including Cairo (1964), Lusaka (1970), and Havana (1979), addressed new challenges while reinforcing the goals established at Belgrade. Over time NAM became a powerful voice in international forums advocating for the rights of developing countries, calling for restructuring global economic relations to favour African, Asian, and Latin American newly independent nations.

Today, NAM comprises 120 member states, 17 observatories, and 10 international organisations, representing 4.3 billion people—more than half of the global population of 54.5 million square kilometres, indicating breadth and location influence. Each conference builds on the legacy of the original conference, seeks to address contemporary issues, and supports a vision of a just, harmonious world.

The archive of the inaugural NAM conference not only documents a historic diplomatic effort but is a testament to the quest for global solidarity and sustainable justice.