Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe receives first UN envoy

by MARCUS MUSHONGA 
HARARE – ACHIM Steiner, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) Administrator, is the first UN official to visit Zimbabwe after the end of Robert Mugabe’s presidency of over 37 years.

Steiner will visit the Southern African country from Thursday to Sunday.

Steiner, who is also the Vice Chair of the UN Development Group, will meet President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and other senior officials including the two Vice Presidents and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Lands and Agriculture, Environment and Health among others.

He will also meet with development partners, members of civil society, and the UN country team.

Steiner will discuss how the UN can support the upcoming elections and actions it can take to assist in Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.

He will also meet with a number of independent commissions on human rights, elections, peace and reconciliation and gender.

Steiner will also deliver the keynote address at the launch of National Human Development report on Climate Change on Friday.

The report aims to inform policy, provide additional evidence for resilience and livelihood building projects and advocacy to address natural disasters that have become recurrent in Zimbabwe due to climate change.

The envoy will also assess a variety of projects including a voter registration facility, an agricultural diversification project, and HIV and AIDS programmes in Mbare and Mutoko.

He will hold a press conference on Saturday in Harare.

– CAJ News