00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - Welcome back to Tell Us More English
00:06 and join us as we broadcast live the high level debate
00:09 at the 78th session of the United Nations.
00:11 Let's see.
00:12 - So, Mdangawa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,
00:17 and to invite him to address the Assembly.
00:21 - Your Excellency, Mr. Dennis Francis,
00:27 President of the 78th session of the United Nations
00:30 General Assembly, Your Excellency, Mr. Antonio Guterres,
00:35 Secretary General of the United Nations,
00:40 Your Majesties, Excellencies, heads of state and government,
00:45 distinguished delegates, I wish to congratulate you,
00:49 Mr. President, on your election as the President
00:53 of the 78th session of the United Nations
00:57 General Assembly.
00:58 We are confident that under your stewardship,
01:02 we will make progress on the important global agenda
01:07 before us.
01:09 Please be assured of Zimbabwe's support
01:11 throughout your tenure.
01:13 I also pay special tribute to your predecessor,
01:19 Mr. Khorasi, for leading the 77th session
01:23 of the General Assembly.
01:26 We value the role he played to promote science
01:30 in our overarching goal to improve the lives
01:35 and livelihoods of all.
01:38 Mr. President, it is imperative that we recommit
01:43 to the Charter of the United Nations,
01:47 multilateralism, solidarity, justice,
01:51 and the peaceful settlement of dissipates
01:54 for sustainable development and a shared future.
01:59 This calls on us all to respect the sovereign equality
02:03 of nations, big or small, poor or rich.
02:07 By working together, we can harness our expertise
02:13 and learn from one another to strengthen
02:16 international institutions for the accelerated
02:19 attainment of Agenda 2030.
02:23 The impact of conflicts, terrorism,
02:27 climate change-induced natural disasters,
02:31 biodiversity loss, and the rising prevalence
02:34 of disease and pandemics, especially in the developing world,
02:39 deserve our urgent attention.
02:42 Regrettably, progress towards the achievement
02:48 of the Sustainable Development Goals has been uneven.
02:52 While global solidarity has been tested
02:55 and the self-interest superseding cooperation,
02:59 we have a duty to reignite our commitment
03:04 to the principles of the 2030 Agenda
03:07 and rekindle the spirit of multilateralism.
03:12 To accelerate action on the SDGs,
03:15 we must scale up investments in people and communities
03:20 by ensuring access to quality education,
03:24 health care, clean water, and sanitation for all.
03:29 The creation of economic opportunities, decent jobs,
03:33 and entrepreneurship, especially among women and youth,
03:37 must remain a priority.
03:40 Excellencies, Zimbabwe continues to entrench democracy,
03:45 constitutionalism, good governance, and the rule of law
03:49 following the recently held 2023 harmonized general elections.
03:54 I am pleased to highlight that our country enjoyed peace
04:00 before, during, and after our free, fair,
04:06 transparent, and credible elections.
04:10 Zimbabwe has been under the illegal
04:13 unilateral economic sanctions for 23 years,
04:16 imposed by some Western countries.
04:20 These sanctions were designed to subjugate
04:24 the sovereign will of the Zimbabwean people.
04:28 We therefore demand that the unjustified
04:32 unilateral sanctions be unconditionally lifted,
04:37 including those imposed on countries like Cuba.
04:41 We remain grateful for the support and solidarity
04:45 of progressive countries in the Committee of Nations.
04:50 In spite of these debilitating sanctions,
04:53 the people of Zimbabwe have become masters
04:57 of their destiny.
04:59 This is in kind on a philosophy that, as a people,
05:03 we have the duty and responsibility
05:06 of developing our country using our own domestic resources.
05:13 Partners and investors are welcome,
05:16 but guided by our own vision and national priority areas.
05:21 We are recording unprecedented development
05:25 and economic success milestones.
05:28 For the last three years, our country has been
05:30 the fastest growing economy in our Southern Africa region.
05:35 Further, Zimbabwe is prioritizing the eradication
05:40 of poverty and improving the quality of life
05:44 of our people, particularly those in rural areas.
05:49 The empowerment and the capacitation of communal
05:52 and small-scale farmers has seen us realize food
05:57 and nutrition security at both household and national level.
06:02 With effort from this year, our country will become
06:08 a net exporter of wheat.
06:10 Zimbabwe has not been spared from the negative impact
06:15 of climate change.
06:17 Hence, my government continues to make the requisite
06:20 investment in infrastructure to mitigate and build
06:25 resilience towards climate change adaptation.
06:29 Dams are being built across the country.
06:33 In addition, we have begun an ambitious
06:36 and yet achievable program to sink solar-powered balls
06:41 in each of our country's 35,000 rural villages and schools.
06:46 Alongside each of these water points,
06:51 our commercial nutritional gardens for the empowerment
06:54 of our women and youth.
06:57 Through the use of our own resources,
07:00 we have constructed an unprecedented number of schools,
07:04 clinics, and provided other social amenities
07:08 throughout our communities.
07:11 Mr. President, today's realities across all regions
07:16 bring to the fore the importance of global solidarity.
07:20 No nation, no matter how powerful, can stand alone
07:25 to realize sustainable and inclusive development.
07:30 The high-level meetings on universal health coverage,
07:34 tuberculosis, and pandemic prevention, preparedness,
07:39 and response are welcome opportunities to reflect
07:43 on the importance of maintaining essential services
07:47 during pandemics and health emergencies.
07:50 The realization of affordable and quality health delivery,
07:55 as outlined under SDG 3, is a key deliverable
08:00 for my administration.
08:02 Science, technology, and innovation
08:05 are essential ingredients to leapfrog the modernization
08:10 and industrialization of developing countries.
08:14 To this end, Zimbabwe continues to reap the benefits
08:18 of a comprehensive and transformative heritage-based
08:23 higher education curriculum.
08:25 The innovation hubs and industrial parks
08:29 established within institutions of higher education
08:32 have refocused young people in our tertiary institutions
08:37 towards developing and producing goods and services.
08:42 Allow me to reaffirm that Zimbabwe
08:45 is actually open for business.
08:48 Mr. President, building resilience
08:51 and tackling the adverse impact of climate change
08:55 should be an urgent priority for us all.
08:58 In the case of Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa region,
09:02 floods and droughts have affected the livelihoods of many
09:06 while hindering progress or national development.
09:10 May I express my deepest condolences and sympathies
09:15 to the government peoples of the Kingdom of Morocco
09:19 and the State of Libya on the recent loss of lives
09:23 as a result of the devastating impact of climate change.
09:28 There is need for concrete climate action
09:31 as opposed to mere promises,
09:34 so that we strengthen our adaptation,
09:37 resilience, and mitigation mechanisms.
09:40 We must transition to a low-carbon
09:44 and resilient global economy by increasing investments
09:48 in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture,
09:52 and green infrastructure.
09:54 Commitments made under the United Nations Framework Convention
09:59 on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement
10:02 must be honored to deliver climate justice.
10:06 It is our hope that progress will be made
10:09 to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund.
10:13 Zimbabwe is implementing a climate change policy
10:17 and response strategy while disaster management
10:21 and the early warning systems continue to be strengthened.
10:26 Mr. President, the need to reform
10:28 global financial institutions is of essence
10:32 to unlock funding for developing countries.
10:36 The current exclusionary architecture,
10:39 dominated by a few states,
10:41 is failing to deliver the requisite resources
10:45 for countries to finance their developmental priorities
10:49 and other pressing health and environmental challenges.
10:53 The shortcomings in the last round of SDR allocations
10:59 should be addressed.
11:01 Zimbabwe supports the stimulus package
11:03 proposed by the United Nations Secretary General.
11:06 We further call for the long-term concessional loans,
11:11 increased access to unused special drawing rights,
11:15 as well as the use of modalities such as debt cancellation
11:20 and restructuring as a stimulus for developing countries
11:24 to grow their economies and to build greater resilience.
11:29 We strongly condemn tendencies by some powerful countries
11:33 who preach peace, human rights, and democracy,
11:37 and yet clandestinely fund conflicts
11:41 and the unconstitutional change of governments
11:43 for their own narrow interests.
11:46 We further condemn the use of unilateral
11:51 and illegal sanctions as a foreign policy tool
11:55 at the disposal of some powerful nations,
11:58 such as those sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe
12:01 and the countries like Cuba.
12:03 Such actions hamper the trust, global solidarity,
12:08 and the multilateralism we desire.
12:11 It is important that we channel our collective efforts
12:15 towards building peace and driving forward
12:18 our development agenda for shared prosperity.
12:22 There is much more that unites us
12:26 than that which divides us.
12:29 Similarly, the establishment of a fair
12:32 and inclusive global security architecture
12:36 has become urgent.
12:38 The maintenance of peace and security
12:40 should never be the preserve of a privileged few.
12:45 Zimbabwe reaffirms calls by Africa
12:48 for the reform of the United Nations Security Council
12:52 in line with the Zulu consensus and the CETA declaration.
12:57 Mr. President, allow me to conclude
13:01 by reaffirming Zimbabwe's commitment
13:03 to the purposes and principles
13:05 of the United Nations Charter
13:08 as we implement our global agenda 2030.
13:12 Collectively, let us restore human dignity,
13:16 peace, security, and stability
13:18 while safeguarding our planet
13:21 for the shared prosperity of present
13:24 and future generations together in unity and harmony.
13:28 We are stronger.
13:29 I thank you for listening.
13:31 (audience applauding)
13:35 - On behalf of the Assembly,
13:38 I wish to thank the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe
13:40 for the statement just made,
13:43 and I request protocol to escort His Excellency.
13:46 The Assembly will now hear an address
13:53 by His Excellency, Jose Ramos-Orta,
13:58 President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
14:02 - And we were listening to the President
14:04 of Zimbabwe, Emerson Mnangwa, the head of state,
14:07 called for more global solidarity
14:09 and reignited the governmental commitments
14:11 to achieve the sustainable development goals.
14:13 Mnangwa stated his country is growing economically
14:17 after the rise of wheat production,
14:19 which allowed to build more schools,
14:21 to implement social policies,
14:23 and to expand healthcare coverage.
14:25 He also expressed his condolences and sympathies
14:28 to Libya and Morocco after the tragedies
14:30 that took thousands of lives there.
14:32 He said the world must transition to a low carbon
14:34 and more sustainable economies.
14:36 The Zimbabwean head of state also called
14:38 to reform the financial architecture of the world
14:41 on behalf of the underdeveloped countries' development.
14:44 Mnangwa condemned the sanctions
14:46 against his country, Cuba, and Venezuela.
14:49 We will have more details in upcoming news briefs.
14:52 Stay with us.
14:53 ♪♪
