VP Mnangagwa opens Sadc Parliament forum

Felex Share: Senior Reporter
Sadc member states should formulate concrete strategies to reduce and prevent statelessness, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said. Statelessness is lack of citizenship.

Opening the 40th plenary session of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum in Harare yesterday, VP Mnangagwa said Statelessness was a “bane” to many countries as its victims were facing difficulties in travelling, marrying and accessing essential services such as health and education.

The practical implications of statelessness are serious as the stateless person cannot lead a normal life just like others who are confirmed citizens of our countries, he said.

On the other hand, fundamental human rights are guaranteed by law to all men, women and children regardless of their nationality. Nevertheless, the stark reality is that many millions of people around the world are denied the exercise of their most basic human rights because they are not recognised as citizens of any country. The plight of stateless persons is under-appreciated, inadequately documented and badly in need of more robust and effective responses.

VP Mnangagwa added: “I believe that your remit at this forum is neither to decry the multifarious challenges resulting from statelessness nor to lament its negative effects on vulnerable individuals. Instead, your remit is to craft lasting solutions to this challenge that has been the bane of many of our states”.

He said the first crucial step in achieving this was for all Sadc member states to accede to and implement the 1954 United Nations Convention relating to the status of stateless persons.

Zimbabwe is part of this convention together with Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia.

“In addition, I am pleased to note that all African countries with the exception of Somalia have ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, which provides in Article 7 for every child to have the right to acquire a nationality and for States to ensure the implementation of these rights, in particular, where the child would otherwise be stateless”, VP Mnangagwa said.

“As a region, we have done commendably well in committing ourselves to international instruments which oblige us to take concrete steps to combat statelessness. What remains is to concretise these obligations through deliberate and sustained action to minimise those affected.

“As legislators, my rallying call is for you to ensure that these international commitments are domesticated in our national laws by enacting enabling legislation which establishes standards for the avoidance of Statelessness through provisions on acquisition, renunciation, loss and deprivation of nationality”, he said.

VP Mnangagwa said all member states should have laws that provide for an “explicit and unqualified right” to a nationality from birth for all children born on their territory. Zimbabwe, through the Registrar-General’s office, gives every child a national identity number at birth. He said Zimbabwe supported the transformation of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum into the Regional Parliament.

“As was the case with the establishment of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum 19 years ago, we need a collective regional decision on this matter and Zimbabwe will continue to engage other Member States to ensure the acceleration of Sadc Regional consensus on this matter.

“As a demonstration of our unequivocal support to the Sadc Parliamentary Forum and the role of Parliament in regional integration, Zimbabwe has offered to host the headquarters of the Sadc Parliamentary Forum’s Parliamentary Studies Institute. We trust that the proposed Parliamentary Studies Institute will be instrumental in enhancing knowledge, skills and capacity of Sadc parliamentarians in respect of their representational, legislative and oversight roles,” he said.

VP Mnangagwa said that the liberation struggles of Sadc countries were achieved through regional unity and the same approach was needed to confront economic and political challenges currently being faced.