FREDERICK MAKAMURE SHAVA, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe, stressed that climate change’s devastating impact is “our common challenge” that requires collective action to enable vulnerable communities to adapt and mitigate.  Noting that an El Niño-induced drought has created serious food insecurity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, he said that the Community’s Heads of State and Government launched an international appeal calling for $5.8 billion at the end of May 2024.  “That figure will go up,” he noted, as more countries in the region complete national assessments, but the overarching objective is to meet immediate needs occasioned by the drought while concurrently building resilience for future shocks — including through the establishment of early warning systems.  Detailing Zimbabwe’s efforts, he said its national 2030 Vision aims to propel the country to upper-middle-income status by that year through a focus on economic growth, sustainable development and holistic societal transformation.

This “strategic thrust”, he said, encompasses substantial investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare and agriculture to “ensure inclusive prosperity across all strata of society”.  Specifically, Zimbabwe’s agricultural model aims to bolster food security, enhance access to potable water and sanitation facilities and invest in renewable energy.  National social protection frameworks and healthcare systems have yielded “tangible” reductions in poverty and disease, he reported, also noting his country’s commitment to empowering women and youth as “architects of sustainable transformation and development”.  Also spotlighting national policy driven by the mantra of “leaving no one and no place behind”, he said this focuses on promoting grassroots development by empowering provincial and district authorities to “lead the way in fulfilling their development aspirations”.  He underscored, however, that Zimbabwe’s “valiant” developmental efforts are obstructed by the adverse impact of punitive, illegal, unilateral sanctions, calling on those who have imposed such measures to remove them immediately and unconditionally.

In that vein, he also called for the immediate lifting of the “stifling” embargo on Cuba to allow its people to pursue their aspirations without interference.  Additionally, Zimbabwe is committed to supporting the self-determination of the people of both Palestine and the Western Sahara.  “The time for mere rhetoric has long passed,” he urged, calling on the Security Council to fulfil its mandate by implementing robust measures that protect Palestinian civilians, uphold international law and facilitate a just, lasting peace.  He also noted that SADC countries are working “tirelessly” to achieving peace and security in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique.  And, on the international financial system — “an anachronistic construct” as it stands today — he said that the economies of developing nations are disproportionately affected by the rigid, often inequitable policies imposed by dominant financial institutions.  Thus, reform is needed.

Similarly, Security Council reform is “not just a matter of fairness, it is essential for ensuring that the Council’s decisions are inclusive, credible and truly reflect the global community’s diversity”, he said. In this context, Zimbabwe supports the African Union’s call for at least two permanent seats — with veto power — for African countries.  Also calling for a global digital governance framework to guard against the harmful consequences of otherwise transformative technology, he said that his country will contribute positively in all negotiations towards this end.  “Zimbabwe stands ready to collaborate with all Member States to ensure that our shared aspirations for a better world are realized,” he concluded.