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Chronicle Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has reiterated his call for the unconditional removal of illegal sanctions unilaterally imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and some Western nations in the European Union (EU), saying they were stifling the country’s economic growth.

The United States imposed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zdera) of 2001 on Harare, along with an Executive Order 13288 of March 2003, which has been renewed yearly, while the European Union introduced its own measures in February 2002, but lifted most of its embargoes in 2014.

The country has laboured under the effects of illegal sanctions since the turn of the millennium when Zimbabwe embarked on the land reform programme. Zdera effectively blocks Zimbabwe’s access to international finance and credit.

Under international law, international sanctions need to be authorised or imposed by the UN Security Council, which was never done in Zimbabwe’s case, making the sanctions illegal.

President Mnangagwa used his speech at the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which is being held virtually due to Covid-19, to sound a clarion call for the lifting of sanctions on Thursday night.

South African President Ramaphosa, in his capacity as African Union (AU) chairperson, on Tuesday made similar demands in his address at the same occasion.

President Mnangagwa said the illegal economic sanctions pose a threat to the country achieving sustainable development and urged the General Assembly to strongly pronounce itself against the embargo.

“Recently, the UN Secretary General; the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, all acknowledged the deleterious effects of the illegal economic sanctions on our country. These are a breach of international law and compromise Zimbabwe’s capacity to implement and achieve Sustainable Development, especially SDGs 2, 3, 8, 9 and 17,” he said.

“We, therefore, call on the General Assembly to strongly pronounce itself against these unilateral illegal sanctions.”

President Mnangagwa also called for mutual respect among nations, genuine multilateralism buttressed by the much-needed reforms in the United Nations (UN) to achieve a peaceful and stable world.

He said Zimbabwe was committed to building a better world and noted that nations needed to respect each other’s sovereignty and equality.

“There is no better way of achieving a peaceful and stable world than through mutual respect, genuine multilateralism buttressed by much needed reforms and respect for international law. Recommitting ourselves to these ideals will pave the way for the just world that we all yearn for,” he said.

The President said although the UN continues to make gratifying qualitative difference in the lives of many people, the sad part for this year’s 75th jubilee is that it has been marred by the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the annual conference to be held virtually.

The theme of the 75th session is “The Future We Want; the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism”.

The President told UNGA that Zimbabwe is now on a new path towards achieving sustainable development but like all nations, the country has not been spared by the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the devastating effects of unjustified illegal sanctions.

Despite the challenges that Zimbabwe is facing, President Mnangagwa said the Government continued to record notable achievements towards sustainable development that would ensure no one is left behind.

“Our macroeconomic stabilisation reforms have seen the reduction of the budget deficit to a single digit, as well as a positive balance of our current account, coupled with foreign exchange rate and price stability. Major infrastructure projects are ongoing, such as the rehabilitation and construction of health services facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure as well as roads, dams and bridges across the country,” he said.

“Investments in mining, agriculture, tourism, energy and manufacturing are on the increase.”

The President said the implementation of the second phase of Ease of Doing Business Reforms will help to improve the country’s World Bank ranking.

Apart from implementing economic measures towards sustainable development, the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa has also implemented political reforms and entrenched constitutionalism.

The 75th session of the UN General Assembly opened on September 15, with the high-level General Debate taking place from September 22 and is scheduled to end today. The General Assembly meeting will come to a close on the 29 with the marking of the 75th anniversary of the world body’s existence.

Established in 1945, the UN has been marking its 75th anniversary with the world body’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for an extended “people’s debate” which “promises to be the largest and farthest-reaching global conversation ever on building the future we want”.