President shares Zim story at world stage

Source: President shares Zim story at world stage – herald

Wallace Ruzvidzo

Herald Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa flew back home yesterday from his successful working visit to Doha, Qatar, where he shared the Zimbabwean story with other world leaders at the Second World Summit for Social Development.

This was said by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira, who had travelled with the President, on arrival at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport yesterday.

The President was welcomed by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet ministers, service chiefs and other senior Government officials.

Prof Murwira said constitutionally, Zimbabwe was obliged to be a member of international bodies such as the United Nations.

“His Excellency, the President, joined Heads of State and Government in Doha to talk about the state of social development in the world,” he said. “As you know, according to the Constitution, Zimbabwe is bound to make sure that it belongs to organisations that promote human development and peace, which is the United Nations, basically,” he said.

“His Excellency, the President, was able to give Zimbabwe’s story on how Zimbabwe has halved the number of people who are considered poor. This kind of movement was emphasised by His Excellency to the extent that now we are focusing on 30 percent of the population, after having lifted within a very few years the other 30 percent from poverty,” he said.

Prof Murwira said the President informed the summit that under his leadership, the Second Republic had been able to focus on development right from household level.

“So, Zimbabwe has been doing very well in this regard. You know His Excellency has championed food security at household level, has championed social protection through BEAM, as well as food distribution.

“But most importantly, His Excellency, the President, under his leadership in the Second Republic, has focused on the household as the unit of development and this is social development, by the way, because in a nation we look at economic activity that enhances social development and social development talks about national cohesion,” he said.

President Mnangagwa’s attendance at the Summit was successful as he also reiterated how Zimbabwe continued to position itself as a “a friend to all and enemy to none” on the global stage.

“It was a very fruitful meeting. Zimbabwe was able to share their story through His Excellency, the President, here being a friend to all and an enemy to none, being a country which is open for business, being a country that promotes the equality of states in terms of sovereign states across the world.

“So, I can say that His Excellency was able to represent Zimbabwe extremely well, within the context of this summit on social development,” said Prof Murwira.

Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa will today take part in a virtual SADC Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, which would focus on the unexpected withdrawal of Madagascar from its annual rotating chairmanship of the regional bloc as well as the situation in Eastern DRC.

“His Excellency the President is going to represent Zimbabwe in that summit and you know Zimbabwe is part of the Troika and the summit is mainly to talk about the situation in the SADC region . . . particularly the situation in the Eastern DRC and situation in the Republic of Madagascar. So, His Excellency the President and his counterparts are going to discuss these matters tomorrow (today) and the outcomes of these matters will then be communicated through the usual channels of the SADC Secretariat Communique,” said Prof Murwira.

The senior officials meeting was held yesterday and the Council of Ministers is going to meet today in preparation for the gathering of Heads of State and Government.