Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
Australian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Minoli Perera, has called for the reform of the United Nations systems for the benefit of developing countries such as Zimbabwe.
She said this at a ceremony to mark Australia Day yesterday.
The ambassador said the polarisation in the world required that countries like Australia and Zimbabwe work together.
“Our collective commitment matters more than ever in a world that is less certain and more polarised,” she said.
Ambassador Perera said there is need to reform the UN so that it can better serve the world.
“The UN was created in 1945 with Australia as a founding member and with us drafting its Charter.
“Eight decades on, Australia is here, leading the call for reform so that it can better serve us all now and into the future. So that it can better serve Africa. So that it can better serve Zimbabwe,” she said
She added that each year her country supports Zimbabwean students to study in Australia under the Australia Awards Scholarship Programme.
“We have welcomed Zimbabweans into Australia and we thank Zimbabwe for embracing Australians who choose to call this beautiful country Zimbabwe home.
“Our support for Zimbabwe has always been underpinned by the same values that we celebrate on Australia Day. Just as those values underpinned Australia’s success, so too have they underpinned Zimbabwe’s in the decades succeeding its independence,” she said.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira said Zimbabwe’s international engagements were premised on the respect for international law and peaceful coexistence with other countries as provided for in the Constitution.
“This constitutional directive compels us to seek the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and to participate in international organisations that foster the well-being of all humanity and guarantees their dignity,” he said.
“Guided by these principles, Zimbabwe has presented its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2027-2028 with the intention of advancing international harmony and security with our shared values, the values that we share with Australia.
“Our constitutional commitment to international peace and cooperation is effectively operationalised through our doctrine of foreign relations and international cooperation.
“This doctrine is a proactive translation of our domestic aspirations and values into a global strategy ensuring that the integrity, dignity and prosperity of our people and the rest of the world is safeguarded.”
