I wish to congratulate Mr. Dennis Francis on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session. We are confident that under his stewardship, we will make progress on the important global agenda before us. He can be assured of Zimbabwe’s support throughout his tenure.
I also pay special tribute to his predecessor. Mr. Csaba Korosi. for leading the seventy-seventh session. We value the role he played to promote science in our overarching goal to improve the lives and livelihoods of all.
It is imperative that we recommit to the Charter of the United Nations, multilateralism, solidarity, justice and the peaceful settlement of disputes for sustainable development and a shared future. That calls on us all to respect the sovereign equality of nations, big or small, poor or rich. By working together, we can harness our expertise and learn from one another to strengthen international institutions for the accelerated attainment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The impact of conflicts, terrorism, climate change-induced natural disasters, biodiversity loss and the rising prevalence of disease and pandemics, especially in the developing world, deserves our urgent attention.
Regrettably, progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been uneven, while global solidarity has been tested and self-interest supersedes cooperation. We have a duty to reignite our commitment to the principles of the 2030 Agenda and rekindle the spirit of multilateralism. To accelerate action on the SDGs. we must scale up investments in people and communities by ensuring access to quality education, health care, clean water and sanitation for all. The creation of economic opportunities, decent jobs and entrepreneurship, especially among women and young people, must remain a priority.
Zimbabwe continues to entrench democracy, constitutionalism, good governance and the rule of law. following the recently held 2023 harmonized general elections. I am pleased to highlight that our country enjoyed peace before, during and after our free. fair, transparent and credible elections.
Zimbabwe has been under illegal, unilateral economic sanctions for 23 years, imposed by some Western countries. Those sanctions were designed to subjugate the sovereign will of the Zimbabwean people. We therefore demand that unjustified unilateral sanctions, including those imposed on countries like Cuba, be unconditionally lifted. We remain grateful for the support and solidarity of progressive countries in the comity of nations.
In spite of those debilitating sanctions, the people of Zimbabwe have become masters of their own destiny. That is anchored in a philosophy that as a people, we have the duty and responsibility of developing our country, using our own domestic resources. Partners and investors are welcome, but must be guided by our own vision and national priority areas. We are recording unprecedented development and economic success milestones. For the past three years, our country has been the fastest growing economy in our Southern African region. Further. Zimbabwe is prioritizing the eradication of poverty and improving the quality of life of our people, particularly those in rural areas. The empowerment and capacitation of communal and small- scale farmers has seen us realize food and nutrition security at both the household and the national levels. With effect from this year, our country will become a net exporter of wheat.
Zimbabwe has not been spared the negative impact of climate change. My Government therefore continues to make the requisite investment in infrastructure to mitigate and build resilience towards climate change adaptation. Dams are being built across the country. In addition, we have begun an ambitious and yet achievable programme to sink solar-powered boreholes in each of our country’s 35.000 rural villages and schools. Alongside each of those water points are commercial nutritional gardens for the empowerment of women and youth. Through the use of our own resources, we have constructed an unprecedented number of schools and clinics and provided other social amenities throughout our communities.
Today’s realities across all regions bring to the fore the importance of global solidarity. No nation, no matter how powerful, can stand alone to realize sustainable and inclusive development. The high-level meetings on universal health coverage, tuberculosis and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response are welcome opportunities to reflect on the importance of maintaining essential services during pandemics and health emergencies. The realization of affordable and quality health delivery, as outlined under SDG 3. is a key deliverable for my administration.
Science, technology and innovation are essential ingredients to leapfrog the modernization and industrialization of developing countries. To that end. Zimbabwe continues to reap the benefits of a comprehensive and transformative heritage-based higher education curriculum. The innovation hubs and industrial parks established within institutions of higher education have refocused young people in our tertiary institutions towards developing and producing goods and services. Allow me to reaffirm that Zimbabwe is now open for business.
Building resilience and tackling the adverse impact of climate change should be an urgent priority for us all. In the case of Zimbabwe and the Southern African region, floods and droughts have affected the livelihoods of many, while hindering progress on national development. May I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to the Governments and the peoples of the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Libya on the recent loss of lives as a result of the devastating impact of climate change.
There is need for concrete climate action, as opposed to mere promises, so that we can strengthen our adaption, resilience and mitigation mechanisms. We must transition to a low-carbon and resilient global economy by increasing investments in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and green infrastructure. Commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change must be honoured to deliver climate justice. It is our hope that progress will be made to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund. Zimbabwe is implementing a climate change policy and response strategy while disaster management and early warning systems continue to be strengthened.
The need to reform global financial institutions is of the essence to unlock funding for developing countries. The current exclusionary architecture, dominated by a few States, is failing to deliver the requisite resources for countries to finance their development priorities and other pressing health and environmental challenges. The shortcomings in the last round of special drawing right allocations should be addressed. Zimbabwe supports the stimulus package proposed by the Secretary-General. We further call for long-term concessional loans, increased access to unused special drawing rights and the use of modalities such as debt cancellation and restructuring as stimuli for developing countries to grow their economies and build greater resilience.
We strongly condemn the tendencies of some powerful countries that preach peace, human rights and democracy and yet clandestinely fund conflicts and unconstitutional changes of Governments for their own narrow interests. We further condemn the use of unilateral and illegal sanctions as a foreign policy tool at the disposal of some powerful nations, such as those sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and countries like Cuba. Such actions hamper the trust, global solidarity and multilateralism we desire.
It is important that we channel our collective efforts towards building peace and driving forward our development agenda for shared prosperity. There is much more that unites us than divides us. Similarly, the establishment of a fair and inclusive global security architecture has become urgent. The maintenance of peace and security should never be the preserve of a privileged few. Zimbabwe reaffirms calls by Africa for the reform of the Security Council, in line with the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.
Allow me to conclude by reaffirming Zimbabwe’s commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations as we implement our global Agenda 2030. Collectively, let us restore human dignity, peace, security and stability, while safeguarding our planet for the shared prosperity of present and future generations. Together, in unity and harmony, we are stronger.