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Displaced Persons was signed in Kampala in 2009 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted on December 13 2006.
In moving the motion on the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paurina Mpariwa said President Mugabe, who is also the Head of State and Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces signed the Kampala Convention in 2009.
“This noble gesture demonstrated the Government of Zimbabwe’s commitment and will to protect and assist persons who become victims of internal displacement due to various factors. There are almost four times as many internally displaced people as there are refugees in Africa. Unlike refugees, these people do not have special status under international law,” said Minister Mpariwa.
She said the Kampala Declaration was the first legally binding instrument to cater specifically for people displaced within their own countries or boundaries adopted at an AU summit.
“The Convention aims to establish a legal framework for preventing internal displacement, protecting and assisting internally displaced persons in Africa,” she said.
“It reaffirms that national authorities have the primary responsibility to provide assistance to internally displaced people. It comprehensively addresses different causes of internal displacements; conflicts generalised violence, human cause or natural disasters and development projects like building dams or clearing only land for large scale agriculture.”
On another Protocol on Rights of Disabled Persons, Minister Mpariwa said her ministry administered the Disabled Persons Act hence her interest in it.
“As you are aware, Zimbabwe was one of the first countries to have a Disabled Persons Act but up to now we have not yet aligned to this important international instrument that addresses the needs of the disabled persons,” she said.
Meanwhile, House of Assembly Speaker, Mr Lovemore Moyo has reprimanded Gutu North MP, Mr Hamandishe Maramwidze (MDC-T) for denigrating another legislator who was making a contribution on one of the protocols. Mr Maramwidze shouted at Mazowe South MP, Cde Margaret Zinyemba (Zanu-PF) that ‘she was drunk’ drawing the ire of Mr Moyo. It took more than five minutes for Mr Maramwidze who was at the back of the Chamber to own up. Mr Moyo had threatened to eject from the House all the five MDC-T MPs on the bench if a person who shouted the words failed to own up.
It took MDC-T deputy chief whip and Bulawayo Central MP, Ms Dorcas Sibanda who approached Mr Maramwidze to own up.
He was subsequently ordered to withdraw the words and he complied.
Online Reporter