HARARE - Nine recommendations for ensuring human rights and reforms in Zimbabwe were presented to the countrys main donors at their bi-annual meeting in Berlin this week.Tor-Hugne Olsen, co-ordinator of Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN), spoke to the donors and laid out the wide-ranging recommendations. It was the first time a civil society organisation had been invited to addressthe Friends of Zimbabwe group.
The invitation followed a declaration last week by the Swedish Presidency, on behalf of the Council of the European Union, about their concerns over the situation in Zimbabwe.
The statement expressed worries about insufficient developments with regard to human rights and democracy, unresolved nomination and appointment issues and continued politically motivated harassment of MDC members.
It encouraged the Southern African Development Community and the African Union, as guarantors of the political agreement, to call for the swift implementation of the agreement and reforms.
The nine recommendations were: to continue current efforts in supporting the people of Zimbabwe, including maintaining high levels of humanitarian aid and support for health and education, directly to the beneficiaries or through NGOs or multilateral agencies; to strengthen participation of poor sectors of the population in social services, particularly in health and education; to strengthen support to civil society, particularly those that monitor the inclusive government and those working in human rights and governance; to offer support in areas that would strengthen the transition towards a new Zimbabwe, including help for organisations working for security service reform, transitional justice and healing; to ensure the continued existence of foreign media outlets until the media situation in Zimbabwe was normalised; to support an independent debt audit in Zimbabwe; to continue to support the SADC and the AU; to support the findings of the fact-finding mission of the Kimberley Process certification scheme, and to continue travel bans on individuals responsible for human rights violations and other targeted measures on Zimbabwe until the obligations of the political agreement were fulfilled.
Post published in: Opinions