The Sunday News
Sunday News Reporters
THE United Nations is planning to mobilise close to $15 billion from donors and its development partners to assist Zimbabwe in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next 15 years, the global agency’s representative in the country has said.
Over the last decade, the UN has helped mobilise humanitarian and development aid for Zimbabwe after the West withheld direct financial support to the country since 2002, due to policy differences. The UN’s resident co-ordinator in Zimbabwe Mr Bishow Palajuli, told Sunday News last week that development partners had injected about $1 billion annually over the past 15 years for implementation of MDGs and about 50 percent of the funding had come through the world organ.
Mr Palajuli said the global agency was now targeting to mobilise a similar amount towards implementation of the SDGs in the country between 2016 and 2030. SDGs are a universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN members will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years. The SDGs follow and expand on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were agreed by governments in 2001 and are due to expire at the end of this year.
“As Zimbabwe implemented the MDGs, development partners injected approximately $1 billion a year in Official Development Assistance, of which close to 50 percent was channeled through the United Nations System to augment national resources.
“In fulfilling our shared responsibility to implement the SDGs, I can’t overemphasise the need to maintain, if not increase, the provision of Official Development Assistance to support developing countries such as Zimbabwe to complement their domestic resources,” said Mr Palajuli.
He said Zimbabwe has in the past done relatively well in achieving international goals with the latest being the successful implementation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“With the strong commitment of the Government and support of the United Nations and development partners, Zimbabwe is well poised to implement the SDGs. In this regard, the country has had a series of consultations at both the national and local levels on adaptation and implementation of the SDGs. The Goals are ambitious but achievable if we put our resources including time geared for action,” said Mr Palajuli.
Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe, reiterated the Government’s commitment in fully implementing SDGs.
“Government is doing everything in its powers to ensure that we achieve the sustainable development goals. Health, education, food security and nutrition are the major areas of concern. On the health sector, we had made sure that every district in the country has a district hospital and clinics which are properly equipped and have qualified nurses. As from late last year to date, we have been installing state-of-the-art equipment in the referral hospitals and this is meant to ensure that our people get all their services in the country and at an affordable price too,” said Dr Mushohwe.
The Minister also said more clinics will be built in the country so that people will not walk long distances to access health facilities. Dr Mushohwe added that the country’s education system has been the best in Africa and the world at large, as there were many Zimbabweans who are holding influential positions in Africa and the developed world.
“There is a new curriculum which has been reviewed which takes into account psychomotor skills and this vindicated the President for setting up a psychomotor ministry. This curriculum will take Zimbabwe to a higher level and it will also create a wholesome person who will be able to work and also create jobs for others,” he said.
“The Government is also working hard to ensure that poverty is being eradicated. At the moment the region is experiencing challenges of climate change and drought is threatening the population in the region. However, no one is going to die of hunger in the country as we are making all efforts to import maize.”
