We need to talk about Bandung

What the report says

Al Jazeera opinion writer Nabil Ahmed argues that the 1955 Bandung Conference in Indonesia has renewed relevance as countries confront trade conflict, debt pressure and widening inequality. The piece says the gathering of 29 Asian and African states, hosted by Indonesian President Sukarno, helped define a framework for sovereignty, anti-colonial cooperation and a more independent path for the developing world.

According to the article, Bandung’s legacy included South-South solidarity and later institutions and movements such as the Non-Aligned Movement and UNCTAD. The author says that spirit was met with heavy pushback in later decades, including coups, invasions, economic coercion and debt burdens, and argues that many of the global inequalities the conference challenged still persist today.

The essay also links Bandung’s themes to current disputes over tariffs, climate breakdown, global debt, and conflict in the Middle East. It says wealthy countries still dominate global wealth and rule-setting, while poorer states face pressure from creditors and international financial systems. The article frames this as a moment for developing countries to rethink cooperation and to push for fairer institutions.

The piece closes by outlining what the author sees as lessons from Bandung: cooperation should be tied to justice, institutions such as the IMF and World Bank should be reformed, debt and tax rules should be rewritten, and trade policy should better protect workers and the environment. It presents Bandung as a reminder that the rules of the global economy remain contested.