Prof Amon Murwira, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
By Dickson Bandera
NEW YORK — Zimbabwe has renewed its call for inclusive reforms of global governance institutions and stronger multilateral cooperation, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa urging the world to recommit to peace, justice, and sustainable development during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80).
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Amon Murwira delivered the statement on behalf of Mnangagwa on Friday, congratulating Annalena Rebok on her election as President of the General Assembly. He said the session, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, came at a time of “profound uncertainty” marked by conflict, inequality, poverty, and climate change.
Reaffirming Zimbabwe’s policy of being “a friend to all and an enemy to none,” Murwira stressed that multilateralism must remain central to international cooperation. He said reforms of the United Nations must be member-driven and inclusive, warning against sidelining the Global South.
Zimbabwe reiterated its demand for Security Council reform, describing Africa’s absence from permanent membership as an “aberration requiring urgent redress.” The country also announced its candidature for a non-permanent seat for the 2027–2028 term, citing its peacekeeping role in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and support for stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The statement reaffirmed solidarity with Palestine and Western Sahara and called for a two-state solution in the Middle East. Domestically, Mnangagwa highlighted Zimbabwe’s recent 6% GDP growth driven by agriculture, mining, tourism, and manufacturing, while underscoring commitments to inclusivity, women’s empowerment, youth participation, and disability rights.
On climate change, Zimbabwe pledged to share its climate-smart agriculture models, reaffirmed support for the Paris Agreement, and called for reforms to unlock development finance for the Global South.
Mnangagwa also highlighted the abolition of the death penalty in 2024 as a sign of Zimbabwe’s human rights progress, while condemning sanctions imposed on the country as “unjust and unwarranted.” He further called for the lifting of the economic blockade on Cuba.
Closing his address, Mnangagwa urged nations to use the UN’s 80th anniversary to recommit to collective action. “No one is safe until everyone is safe,” he said, calling for a future that “leaves no one and no place behind.”
