UN warns Zimbabwe

President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa speaks at the 74th Session of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, in New York, 25 September 2019 in New York, JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty ImagesTHE United Nations (UN) has warned President’s administration to ensure the country holds non-violent polls this year saying conflicts before, during and after elections tend to have devastating consequences.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold its general elections in August and Mnangagwa is yet to proclaim the exact election date.

Speaking at the joint steering committee meeting of the 2022-26 Zimbabwe UN Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework in Harare yesterday, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator Edward Kallon said conflict reverses developmental gains achieved by any country.

“Here in Zimbabwe, in line with this commitment and National Development Strategy 1 priorities, the UN country team remains committed to strengthening governance and institutional capacities to build, and sustain peace, promote transparent and accountable institutions, and advance human rights and the rule of law,” Kallon said.
“We must work together to endear social cohesion to sustain peace including before, during and after the 2023 elections. The costs of conflicts are high and further reverse development gains achieved.”

A recent report by the United States embassy showed that Zimbabwe’s human rights situation remains dire, with numerous factors that contributed to a flawed election process in 2018 still in play ahead of this year’s elections.

Electoral watchdogs have continued to implore the government to implement meaningful electoral reforms ahead of the polls.

Kallon described the country’s politics as toxic and implored the government to use structured dialogue to address debt management and arrears clearance to secure mutual political respect.

“As stakeholders engage to accelerate the implementation of the sustainable development goals, the discussion on arrears clearance and debt relief must be anchored on mutual accountability and linked to progress on three issue areas; securing political mutual respect including engagement with partners to remove international politics and humanitarian assistance from toxic domestic politics, leveraging trade for development with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to promote trade with foreign missions as entry points and dividends of dialogue, and linking debt resolution, arrears clearance and social development with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development working with international financial institutions and development agencies agreeing to secure grant funding for basic services for the poor as a priority,” he said.