Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira, [email protected]
THE United Kingdom has pledged to work closely with Zimbabwe as the country prepares to take up its non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which it secured earlier this week with overwhelming support.
The assurance was given by the outgoing UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Peter Vowles, while briefing journalists shortly after bidding farewell to President Mnangagwa at State House yesterday.
Zimbabwe is set to assume the UNSC non-permanent seat for the 2027–2028 term after securing 182 votes out of a possible 190 during elections held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday, signalling strong international backing.
“We talked about the UN Security Council and our congratulations as the British Government to Zimbabwe for securing a seat as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. We have a lot to talk about in the coming months as Zimbabwe prepares its term for the Security Council,” said Ambassador Vowles.
“The world is so complicated and there are so many important things to discuss. Peace and security in Africa, territorial sovereignty, climate change, so the UN Security Council is a great opportunity for Zimbabwe and the UK to build relations in our shared values.”
The United Kingdom is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, alongside the United States of America, France, China and Russia, and holds veto power on the global body.
Relations between Zimbabwe and the UK have historically been strained, particularly at the turn of the millennium following Zimbabwe’s land reform programme, which led to a diplomatic fallout between Harare and London.
However, ties have improved in recent years.
Ambassador Vowles acknowledged the past tensions but emphasised the importance of engagement and dialogue in rebuilding relations between the two countries.
“I think the magic is that we collectively agreed that we are better off working together as two nations and we are better off putting some of the past behind us, that is what we have tried to do as the British government, but I also recognise what the Government of Zimbabwe has tried to do, is to then have those conversations in behind closed doors and to be respectful with each other.
“The world is so complicated; there are no easy answers to the world’s problems and so actually by being able to address those problems together, working together, we can move forward and I think that is what we have collectively done in recent years.”
He said bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom have strengthened significantly in recent years, marked by increased engagement at both political and economic levels.
“What has been really interesting in the last few years has been how we have advanced the bilateral relationship, that we are now talking again, we are in the same room together, we have British ministers visiting Zimbabwe,
Zimbabwean ministers visiting London, and we may not always agree on things but we can do that in a respectful way behind closed doors and I am really proud that we have got to that place.
“You build a respectful partnership to achieve things together, so what we then talked about is the economic partnership between Britain and Zimbabwe, how we have been really driving trade numbers up, but not just trade, trade that adds value to rural communities, to urban communities. I am really pleased with the work on smallholder farmers being able to access UK markets duty-free, quota-free, but then we talked about our work on climate, on agriculture, renewables, solar, some of those works, and then of course some of the commercial partnerships and again, His Excellency the President and I agreed that there is more we can do and want to do more together.”
Ambassador Vowles said he was leaving Zimbabwe with a sense of pride and emotion, having spent many years in the country in different capacities, including as a teacher, development worker, tourist and diplomat.
“It is a slightly emotional moment for me to be leaving Zimbabwe after so many years and a career that spanned four decades in and out of Zimbabwe. I wanted just to say a huge thank you to Zimbabwean,” said Ambassador Vowles. In a related development, outgoing Switzerland Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Stephanie Ray, also bade farewell to
President Mnangagwa after completing a four-year tour of duty.
Briefing journalists after his meeting with the President, Ambassador Ray said Switzerland is keen to expand its investment and development footprint in Zimbabwe, building on the growing ties between the two countries. He said his country remains committed to strengthening cooperation across various sectors.
“Our relations have been strengthened over the past four years. We have made a great deal of progress in many areas together as partners, and you know the quality of the relationship also depends on how much an ambassador can work, right? And Zimbabwe has let me work in many fields, and we have co-created a lot of things,” said Ambassador Ray.
“We supported Zimbabwe in its journey towards the abolition of the death penalty; we have set up a fund, a cultural fund to uplift artists, and we have supported tens of artists through an initiative called SSADZA (Swiss Support to Arts Development in Zimbabwe), and this has added to the visibility of Swiss-Zimbabwean relations. We are still a top foreign investor, the number one foreign investor, a direct investor from Europe in Zimbabwe. We have great companies present here, and they all want to do more.”
The engagements signal continued international interest in strengthening diplomatic and economic relations with Zimbabwe, as the country prepares to take on a more prominent role on the global stage.
