Zimbabwe has received support at the recently held United Nations General Assembly in the United States where various countries also called for the removal of the illegal economic sanctions.
UN Special Rapporteur, Dr Alena Douhan, will visit Zimbabwe from October 18 to 28 to assess the impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights.
Her visit will coincide with October 25, the day set aside by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to call for the unilateral removal of the illegal economic sanctions that have choked the country’s development for two decades now.
Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) rapporteur on international relations and re-engagement, Mr Kwanele Hlabangana says the high profile visit is a success of the Second Republic’s re-engagement efforts.
“It is encouraging for the UN to send a rapporteur to get a deeper understanding of the impact of sanctions on Zimbabwe, It will also be an opportunity to engage with the Rapporteur on the impact of the illegal embargo.
“It is also prudent to note that the government did not sit back and wait for sanctions to be removed, government took bold steps and came up with policies that are transforming the economy,” he said.
In a statement, the office of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner said Ms Douhan will get first-hand information on how the sanctions have impacted ordinary Zimbabweans.
“She is seeking the views of all relevant stakeholders to inform the thematic and geographical focus of the visit and subsequent reporting.
“The purpose of the mission is to examine, in the spirit of co-operation and dialogue, whether and to what extent the adoption, maintenance or implementation of unilateral sanctions impedes the full realization of the rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments, in particular the right of individuals and peoples to development,” read the statement.
Ms Douhan is the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, and her visit is expected to give her first-hand information on how sanctions have stymied Zimbabwe’s development.
