Sharm-el-SHEIKH - Amid doubts over its relevance in an increasingly unipolar world, the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) opened Wednesday with leaders from 118 member countries gathering on the banks of the Red Sea in this Egyptian town to debate on peace and solidarity as well as the economic crisis.

Egypt President Hosni Mubarak took over as chair of the movement from Cuba’s Raul Castro, whose country had hosted the last NAM summit in Havana in September 2006. The Indian delegation is led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Mubarak said he looked forward to “serious international solidarity for peace and development”, echoing the theme of this two-day summit.

But while peace and development were recurring themes, equally important was the current global economic crisis. Amongst the other issues that will be discussed over the next two days is climate change.

Many speakers referred to the fact NAM was the largest developing country grouping, representing more than half the world’s population and almost two-thirds of the UN membership.

This was a “powerful assembly of nations”, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reminded the gathering and said it was the voice of the developing world.

Dressed in flaming orange robes and a purple turban - a visual representation of the diversity that is the NAM membership - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi echoed the sentiment: “We are a majority in the UN, monopolized by a small group under the influence of one power.

“We are facing new challenges and we need to reconsider, reevaluate the international situation in order for the world to benefit from this huge gathering,” he said.

The summit, which traces its roots to the Bandung Conference of 1995 when nations got together to chart a path independent of the East and the West, held its first meeting six years later in September 1961 in Belgrade.

Then, there were 25 countries, including 11 each from Asia and Africa. Forty-eight years later, the movement has grown to 118 members — 53 from Africa, 38 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and one from Europe.