FULL TEXT: Mnangagwa’s UN Speech
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. E.D. MNANGAGWA, AT THE 78TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY: 21 SEPTEMBER 2023Your Excellency, Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly; Your Excellency, Mr. Antonio Guterres, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations; Your Majesties; Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; Distinguished Delegates. I wish to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election as the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
We are confident that under your stewardship, we will make progress on the important global agenda before us. Please be assured of Zimbabwe’s support throughout your tenure. I also pay special tribute to your predecessor, Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, for leading the 77th Session of the General Assembly. We value the role he played to promote science in ouroverarching goal to improve the lives and livelihoods of all. Mr. President;It is imperative that we re-commit to the Charter of theUnited Nations, multilateralism, solidarity, justice and the peaceful settlement of disputes for sustainable development and a shared future. This 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 andlearn from one another to strengthen international institutions for the accelerated attainment of Agenda 2030. The impact of conflicts, terrorism, climate changeinduced natural disasters, biodiversity loss, and the risingprevalence of disease and pandemics, especially in the developing world, deserve our urgent attention.
Regrettably, progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals has been uneven, while global solidarity has been tested and self-interest superseding cooperation. We have a duty to reignite our commitment to the principles of the 2030 Agenda andrekindle 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, healthcare, clean water, and sanitation for all.
The creation of economic opportunities, decent jobs and entrepreneurship, especially amongwomen and the youth, must remain a priority. Excellencies;Zimbabwe continues to entrench democracy, constitutionalism, good governance and the rule of law, following the recently held 2023 Harmonised 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 the illegal, unilateral economic sanctions for 23 years, imposed by some Western countries. These sanctions were designed to subjugate the sovereign will of the Zimbabwean people. We, therefore, demand that the unjustified unilateral sanctions be unconditionally lifted, including those imposed on countries like Cuba. We remain grateful for the supportand solidarity of progressive countries in the comity of nations. In spite of these debilitating sanctions the people of Zimbabwe have become masters of their own destiny.
This is anchored on 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, guided by our own vision and national priority areas. We are recording unprecedented development and economic success milestones. For the last 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 realise food and nutrition security at both household and national level.