CONEFO

The Conference of the New Emerging Forces (CONEFO) was an effort by President Soekarno of Indonesia to create a new bloc of "emerging countries" that would be an alternative power centre to the United Nations and to the "old established forces" - a category in which Soekarno included both the United States and the Soviet Union. It was intended to build on the legacy of the 1955 Bandung Conference and assert the interests of the Third World and a neutral posture towards the Cold War.

To host CONEFO, Indonesia constructed a new building complex in Jakarta with the financial aid of, among other countries, the United Arab Republic and People's Republic of China.^[1] Since CONEFO never met, the complex now houses the Indonesian national parliament.

CONEFO was officially established on 7 January 1965, after Soekarno's government objected to Malaysia becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council at a time when Indonesia had declared a low-level conflict called "konfrontasi" (confrontation) against Malaysia. An angry Soekarno announced that Indonesia was leaving the UN and forming a rival world organization. He had taken similar steps in 1963 when he created GANEFO, the Games of the New Emerging Forces, as an alternative to the Olympic Games.

CONEFO was dissolved on 11 August 1966 by General Soeharto, who had de facto overthrown Soekarno as Indonesia's leader.

CONEFO member states

• Indonesia
• People's Republic of China
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• Democratic Republic of Vietnam

References