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Zimbabwe
asks for UN bailout
Takudzwa Munyaka, Mail and Guardian (SA)
December 06, 2013
http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-06-00-zim-asks-for-un-bailout
Harare has asked
the United Nations to bail it out by scaling down its humanitarian
programmes and channeling funds to development work that will support
Zanu-PF's economic revival blueprint, the Zimbabwe
Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).
Zim Asset aims
to grow the economy by 3.4% this year and by 6.1% in 2014, with
the ultimate target of achieving a 9.9% growth rate by 2018 - but
the government has been struggling to secure funding for these plans.
Among other
things, Zim Asset seeks to rebuild infrastructure, reopen closed
factories, pay off the country's external debt and provide cheap
housing and better access to identity documents. It also seeks to
run all government buildings on solar energy by 2015.
Now Harare has
found a way to lean on the UN and make it partly fund the ambitious
five-year programme.
‘Cut
down aid'
The government
made the request for the UN to downsize humanitarian work during
the high-level annual review meeting of the Zimbabwe United Nations
Development Assistance Framework (Zundaf) at Pandhari Lodge in Harare
last week.
The meeting
was attended by government officials and senior officials of the
UN country team.
Presentations
made at the gathering seem to suggest that, although the UN is willing
to assist the government, it is concerned about cutting its aid
provision.
"As we
embark on the remaining cycle of the Zundaf, let's all minimise
analytical programming and aim to produce more tangible results
that will improve the livelihoods of the people of Zimbabwe,"
said the deputy chief secretary to the president and Cabinet, Dr
Ray Ndlukula.
"This is
quite possible now, considering that the United Nations country
team in Zimbabwe and the government have agreed to scale down on
humanitarian activities and integrate humanitarian work into recovery
and development.
"This programming
orientation tallies very well with the development thrust of the
new government of Zimbabwe, where people-oriented development is
taking centre stage."
UN is
reluctant
Ndlukula said
Zim Asset should be supported by all stakeholders for it to succeed.
"Since
Zim Asset is the economic blueprint that is guiding the operations
of government until 2018, there is a need to align the Zundaf with
Zim Asset to ensure that there is no programming disjuncture between
the government thrust and Zundaf," said Ndlukula.
A source close
to the developments said the UN is reluctant to buy into the idea
of reducing humanitarian assistance but also wants to maintain cordial
relations with the government.
The source added
that the UN is willing to align the Zundaf with Zim Asset but without
having to channel all its resources to the government, as it would
like to fund other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). But officially
it would cooperate with government.
Dr Alain Noudehou,
the UN resident co-ordinator in Zimbabwe, said at the review meeting
the Zundaf had achieved some positives, but noted that the country
still has numerous challenges for which it requires humanitarian
help. "Despite our best intentions, it is important to remind
ourselves that poverty remains high.
"We continue
to lose mothers to preventable pregnancy-related complications;
food insecurity and malnutrition continue to affect a significant
number of people; unemployment remains high, particularly among
the youth; HIV and Aids rates also remain high, although improving;
and the economic recovery remains fragile," said Noudehou.
"I am highlighting
some of these key challenges because they are critical and require
urgent action. I am also highlighting them because, working together,
we have a better chance to address them."
UN's
position
This week the
Mail & Guardian asked Ndlukula about the implications of the
government's move, considering the numerous challenges facing the
country.
He insisted
that the government had not stopped the UN agencies from doing humanitarian
work, saying that Zimbabwe's recovery process would lead to the
empowerment of more people. He said humanitarian work would continue
in areas such as poverty alleviation.
Asked of the
UN's position, the UN's communication specialist Sirak Gebrehiwot
said scaling down humanitarian assistance is a "collective
decision that has been taken by government, the UN and humanitarian
partners in response to the improved situation in the country".
Gebrehiwot said
the UN would continue with other forms of assistance but that "the
objectives of the UN are informed by national priorities and internationally
agreed goals".
He confirmed
the UN will work with the government to ensure that its work supports
Zim Asset.
'Act
of desperation'
The National
Association of Nongovernmental Organisations' chief executive,
Cephas Zinumwe, said there would be nothing wrong with the UN assisting
the government to fund Zim Asset.
He said the
Zundaf is a mechanism to support the government's work, which was
being done through Zim Asset, but that the government is showing
its desperation by asking the UN and donor countries to channel
all aid through it, while cutting off NGOs.
"It's an
act of desperation. They are clearly broke and want every cent they
can get, even to the extent of competing for a small cake with NGOs
instead of competing for the bakery. The government should instead
be looking at strengthening bilateral relations with other states
such as the Chinese, the British and the Americans and coming up
with attractive and innovative ways of securing funding," he
said.
Zinumwe said
the work that NGOs are doing is important as they monitor the government
and help to meet the development goals. He said the government should
approach NGOs to support development work.
Zimbabwe receives
assistance from the UN under the Zundaf 2012-15 framework, through
which the global body committed close to $800-million.
The first review
of Zundaf last year established that the programme saw the provision
of food assistance to 1.4million people, the supply of essential
medicine to 90% of Zimbabwe's health facilities and the distribution
of textbooks.
It also led
to agricultural inputs being provided to at least 80000 households
and vaccinations being given to 1.9million children, as well as
support for the constitution-making process.
Last year, UN
agencies and its development partners spent $426million on Zimbabwe
and projections are that the figure will increase to $430million
by the end of this year.
Zimbabwe remains
on an economic downward spiral, with about two million villagers
in southern parts of the country in need of food aid.
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