Sunday Mail Reporter
ZIMBABWE has beefed up staff in New York as it prepares to take up a seat on the United Nations Security Council in January.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the country has now developed a strategy for the UN Security Council.
“It is all about a UN Security Council strategic plan. We now have a strategy for the UN Security Council. His Excellency, President E.D. Mnangagwa, has approved this strategy. Additional human capital has already been deployed,” said Prof Murwira.
“We have beefed up our presence in New York. And our people are busy interacting with their counterparts while we are preparing to take the seat in January. We have increased the amount of diplomatic contact ourselves.”
Prof Murwira said during the just-ended United Nations General Assembly, Zimbabwe had significantly invested to expand its diplomatic footprint.
“You might have seen that while we were in New York we increased diplomatic relations with states that we did not have formal diplomatic relations with.
“You saw what we did with Saint Lucia in the Caribbean; you see Malta, for example, and Azerbaijan. We have done quite a lot to make sure that we expand Zimbabwe’s diplomatic footprint,” said Prof Murwira.
“This makes us be able to reach several corners of the world. You would know that His Excellency, when we were doing the campaign, sent me to several countries. We went to the Caribbean, Europe and so forth and so on.
“So, we will be expanding our diplomatic outreach. We will be expanding our diplomatic contact. This makes sure that we are globally represented in terms of our outlook.”
Zimbabwe was recently elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, securing 182 out of 190 votes cast at the UN General Assembly in New York.
The term will run for two years — from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028.
The assumption of the seat marks Zimbabwe’s third time serving on the Security Council following previous terms in 1983-1984 and 1991-1992.
Zimbabwe’s election has been hailed as a major diplomatic milestone, reflecting success of the Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement policy.
