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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
UNITED Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Dr Alena Douhan has said western countries should lift the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe as they are a human rights violation impeding delivery of public services.
Dr Douhan was in the country for two weeks on a fact-finding mission on the impact of sanctions on Zimbabwe.
She was appointed to the position by the UN Human Rights Council in 2020.
Zimbabwe has been under illegal sanctions for the past two decades after it implemented the land reform progamme meant to correct the skewed land ownership which favoured white farmers.
This saw the United States of America, Britain and their Western allies imposing illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Sadc, the African Union, China, Russia and other members of the progressive world have been calling for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions.
The Sadc Heads of States and Governments in 2019 proclaimed October 25 as a day of solidarity with the Zimbabwean people against sanctions.
On Monday as has become the norm, Sadc countries engaged in different activities to mark the Anti-Sanctions Day and called for the unconditional removal of the sanctions which have affected not only Zimbabwe but the entire region.
Many Zimbabweans have been forced to leave the country to seek employment in other countries as many local companies have been closed as a result of the sanctions.
In a statement yesterday, Dr Douhan who rounded up her tour of the country over the weekend after meeting various social, political and economic groups in Harare and Bulawayo, said the illegal sanctions were hurting Zimbabweans and should be removed.
She said instead of unilateral coercive measures, there should be meaningful structured dialogue on political reform, human rights and the rule of law.
Already Government is pursuing a re-engagement policy and has declared that Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none.
Dr Douhan said sanctions have become a hindrance to the enjoyment of human rights in the country.
“Over the last 20 years, sanctions and various forms of over-compliance with sanctions have had an insidious ripple effect on the economy of Zimbabwe and on the enjoyment of fundamental human rights, including access to health, food, safe drinking water and sanitation, education and employment,” Dr Douhan said.
She said the situation also limits Zimbabwe’s ability to guarantee functioning of public institutions, delivery of services and maintenance of essential infrastructure.
“The sanctions also undermine the right to development of the Zimbabwean people and impede the achievement of the sustainable development goals,” said Dr Douhan.
She said the embargo has had devastating consequences especially for vulnerable groups such as women, children, elderly, people with disabilities as well as the marginalised communities.
Dr Douhan said as a result of sanctions many companies as well as foreign banks, applied zero-risk policies and were overly compliant fearing heavy penalties for breaching sanctions.
“This has resulted in inefficient high-cost bank transactions, serious challenges in accessing credit lines and major disruptions in supply-chains, which impinge the ability to secure infrastructure financing and business continuity.
Sanctions are also fuelling corruption and money laundering and over-reliance on the informal sector,” she said.
Dr Douhan said the US and its allies should remove the illegal sanctions as dialogue is the best way forward if Zimbabwe is to effectively develop.
“The US and other states should lift their sanctions on targeted individuals and entities and end over-compliance.
The time is ripe for sanctioning States and key national stakeholders to engage in a meaningful structured dialogue on political reform, human rights and rule of law and abandon rhetoric on sanctions as an advocacy tool,” said Dr Douhan.
Meanwhile, the African Union has once again called for the removal of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe saying the embargo stresses the Zimbabwean economy.
The AU Commission chairperson Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat said yesterday that the continental body stands in solidarity with Sadc in calling for the removal of the embargo and supported the regional block’s Anti-Sanctions Day activities.
“The Chairperson remains concerned by the negative impact of continued sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe to the country’s socio-economic development and recovery efforts.
The Chairperson reaffirms the commitment of the African Union to continue working closely with the Sadc to support all regional efforts, and in this regard, the African Union associates itself fully with the statement issued by President Lazarus Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of Sadc,” read the AU statement.
The Sadc bloc has said the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe are constraining the country’s economic recovery, threatening human security and sustainable growth and should be removed immediately without any conditions. — @nqotshili
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