The Elders, comprising former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former
US President Jimmy Carter and human rights advocate Graca Machel, were
speaking at a media briefing held after a three-day assessment of
Zimbabwe’s humanitarian situation.
The conference served to highlight the extreme to which Zimbabwe’s
people are suffering. The Elders had planned to visit Zimbabwe, but
were informed by mediator Thabo Mbeki that their presence was unwelcome
in Harare. Instead, they met with political leaders, businessmen, aid
workers, donors, UN agencies and civil society representatives over the
weekend.
They described their findings as "heartbreaking". Said Machel: "We were
expecting a gloomy situation but the crisis is much worse than anything
we had ever imagined. Either the leadership there doesn’t have a clear
picture of the suffering or they don’t care."
Machel said that "anyone sensible" would not delay doing everything possible to stop deaths in Zimbabwe.
"What we have learned in the past few days is shocking. It is not just
the extent of Zimbabwe’s humanitarian crisis, but the speed of
deterioration in the past few weeks that is most worrying. The scale,
depth and urgency of the situation are underreported," said Annan.
They described a situation in which Zimbabwe citizens are left without
food and have a fraction of the crops they require. Zimbabwe was once
an agricultural beacon on the African continent.
About 15% of the population is infected with HIV. Cholera is breaking
out because of poor sanitation. Four major hospitals have closed their
doors to almost all patients.
School attendance has fallen from over 85% in 2007 to just 20%.
Teachers do not earn enough to cover three days’ transport and are thus
not present at schools.
Said Carter: "The signing of the September 15 [Global Political
Agreement] raised hopes in Zimbabwe and around the world, but the
failure to implement it in good faith and create a workable power
sharing government is leading to despair and accelerating the crisis.
Regardless of the challenges in implementing the agreement, all parties
should now make the welfare of the people their people the first
priority and put an end to the unnecessary suffering of millions."
The Elders did not make any radical statements, such as a denouncement
of former South African President Thabo Mbeki’s mediation role or a
call for military action.
Annan did say any advice he’d give Mbeki would be done in private.
Machel said that the change in South Africa’s tone was an improvement.
South Africa, under President Kgalema Motlanthe, has withheld
agricultural aid from Zimbabwe. She said that Sadc (South African
Development Community) needs to be more assertive and forceful.
The Elders made the following recommendations:Â
All political parties should implement, in good faith, the Global
Political Agreement as a matter of urgency, and work to form a truly
inclusive government to tackle the humanitarian and economic crisis,
also working with regional and international partners.
Donors should provide sufficient resources to meet emergency
humanitarian needs, including the current $140m required to feed people
until April. They should also support the consolidated appeal of €550m
by 35 agencies to address urgent needs in all sectors in 2009.
Humanitarian agencies must have unimpeded access, to assess needs and deliver humanitarian assistance without restraint.
The Elders call on the United Nations to work with the government and
others to bring critical support to smallholder farmers in particular,
especially in seed and fertiliser. This could enable a new "Home Grown
Help" initiative to be launched in time for the 2009/10 agricultural
season.
They said it is essential that the region comes together to set up a
medical task force to help deal with those affected by cholera and to
contain the spread of the disease.
The government of Zimbabwe, working with the UN and international
agencies, should find creative ways of retaining doctors, nurses and
other essential staff, and to ensure that medical supplies are
available.
Extraordinary measures to attract qualified health workers from
surrounding countries should be brought in to address the fatal cholera
epidemic. The Elders called on Sadc to ensure proper capacity, regional
coordination and co-operation.
Government, with assistance from donors and aid agencies, should create
incentives for teachers to go back to school, including transport
allowances, adequate salary, housing and access to food.
Government, with assistance from donors, should ensure that the
emergency treatment of existing water sources, along with efforts to
rehabilitate water and sanitation infrastructure.
The Sadc region needs to acknowledge that the crisis in Zimbabwe is
affecting neighbouring countries and it is in the interests of all that
it be addressed immediately.
BY Julius Cobbett