ZIMBABWE: Sanctions Hurt MDGs

Zimbabwe's efforts to meet its Millennium Development Goals have been pinned back by the illegal Western sanctions on the country, President Mugabe has said.

In his address to the high-level plenary meeting on MDGs yesterday, the President said Zimbabwe - with the resources at its disposal and with constructive partnerships with the international community - would meet the targets.

He said: "Our MDGs steering committee has produced three reports since its formation. The reports show that we have registered mixed results.

"Despite our best efforts, we fell short of our targets because of the illegal and debilitating sanctions imposed on the country, and, consequently, the incidence of poverty in Zimbabwe remains high."

"As a result of these punitive measures and despite our turnaround economic plan, the Government of Zimbabwe has been prevented from making a positive difference in the lives of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the destitute among its citizens. This is regrettable because Zimbabwe has a stable economic and political environment. We have the resources, and with the right kind of support from the international community, we have the potential to improve the lives of our people."

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces said while there was reason to celebrate successes in pursuit of the MDGs at a local and international level over the past decade, the challenges re-mained many.

This, he noted, required increased commitment by the international community to meet the eight targets as agreed at the 2000 Millennium Summit.

"We remain determined, even in these circumstances, to achieve the MDGs in particular, and other internationally ag-reed commitments in general," he said.

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe had prioritised three of the eight MDGs to push forward, namely: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to promote gender equality and empower women, and to combat HIV and Aids, malaria and other diseases.

The other MDGs cover environmental sustainability, child mortality and international co-operation for development.

President Mugabe said the country's best intentions were being undermined by its enemies, who were determined to go against internationally agreed conventions such as the Millennium Declaration.

"Even as our economy suffered from illegal sanctions imposed on the country by our detractors, we continued to deploy and direct much of our own resources towards the achievement of the targets we set for ourselves.

"Indeed, we find it very disturbing and regrettable that after we all agreed to work towards the improvement of the lives of our citizens, some countries should deliberately work to negate our efforts in that direction."

"I believe that as we sit here today and re-dedicate ourselves to the achievement of the MDGs in the timeframe we set ourselves, this noble effort on our part will only reach fruition if all of us walk our talk."

The President outlined how Zimbabwe, even before the 2000 Millennium Summit, had set about improving the economic and social conditions of its citizenry.

He said highlights were the thrust to ensure education for all, access to healthcare, empowerment of all people and food security.

President Mugabe said: "A lot of investment has gone into human capital development. Relevant policies, including the Early Childhood Development Policy, have ensured that net enrolments in schools remain high.

"As you may be aware, Mr President, according to recent Unicef reports, Zimbabwe has the highest literacy rate in Africa."

He said in terms of HIV and Aids interventions, Zimbabwe continued to register significant progress and expressed his hope that this would continue to be replicated in years to come.

"My Government greatly appreciates the assistance it is now receiving from the Global Fund and other agencies."

"We remain concerned about the incidence of HIV and Aids in our country and hope that it will continue to decline significantly as Government strengthens prevention efforts."

He said Zimbabwe was convinced the MDGs were achievable regardless of the many obstacles and urged world leaders to keep promises they made when signing the Millennium Declaration.

"Let us all strive to make 2015 a watershed year, a year when poverty, hunger, disease and other ailments which are impediments in life can be completely prevented."

"Let us henceforth forge a wide-ranging global partnership to make the world a better place for all its peoples, now and in the future." President Mugabe is expected to address the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly later this week.