🇿🇼Emmerson Dambudzo MnangagwaZimbabwe · UNGA 81 speech

Your Excellency, Dr. Rahman, President of the eighth first session of the United Nations General Assembly, your majesties, excellencies, heads of state and government, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. I congratulate you, Dr. Rahman, on your election as President of the 81st session of the General Assembly. Zimbabwe is confident that under your able leadership, the Assembly will advance meaningful transformation under the theme, Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation, a United Nations that delivers for all. You may count on Zimbabwe's full support. I wish to thank Ms. Annalena Baerbock for her effective leadership of the 80th session and her contribution to the UN80 reform process. Zimbabwe also pays tribute to Mr. Antonio Guterres in his final general debate as Secretary-General. We commend his defense of multilateralism as well as efforts to advance dialogue for conflict prevention and resolution, sustainable development, and the pact for the future. Mr. President, we meet during a pivotal moment when the world is facing numerous interconnected and complex crises. Conflicts are spreading, climate shocks are intensifying, and technology is advancing faster than the rules that govern it. As the current crop of leaders, it should concern us that today, somewhere, a child is born into war, a family is displaced by conflict, a farmer loses another harvest to drought, and a young person wonders whether technological progress will expand opportunity or deepen inequality. Through separated by geography, those separate by geography, these experiences reveal a common truth. Humanity's challenges are increasingly interconnected and no nation can overcome them alone. The trust deficit among nations has continued around the gains that cooperation fostered within the United Nations system. We must therefore choose between purposeful reform or unmitigated repression. Trust will be restored when conflicts are prevented, international law is applied equally, development commitments are fulfilled, and all nations are fairly represented. in the global institutions. Multilateralism is a crucial equalizer. It ensures that all have an equal voice under international law and an equal role in shaping our shared future. Undoubtedly, the Charter remains our common compass. Sovereign equality, political independence, territorial integrity, non-interference, peaceful settlement of disputes, and international cooperation must be applied universally, not selectively. International law cannot be a shield for some and a sword against others. The United Nations has a sacred duty to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Our experience in Southern Africa has taught us that dialogue is a shared fortitude and not a weakness. In the African tradition, the meeting place is not where courage is abandoned, it is where wisdom is summoned. Lessons can be drawn from the heritage-based approaches to peacebuilding. and conflict resolution from communities across the world, including within Africa. Military action may alter the battlefield, but durable peace is built through inclusive political processes that restore confidence, address grievances, and allow affected communities to shape their socioeconomic and political destinies. Mr. President, Zimbabwe is grateful for the confidence placed in us through our election to the Security Council for the 2027 to 2028 term. My country will assume this responsibility in January 2027 with humility, independence, and a readiness to serve, guided by a foreign policy of being a friend to all and an enemy to none. Accordingly, my country will prioritize four priorities in the Council. Firstly, the promotion of preventive diplomacy, mediation, and peaceful dispute resolution, while tackling the underlying causes of insecurity. Secondly, We shall advocate for the strengthening of cooperation between the United Nations and the regional organizations, such as the African Union and its Peace and Security Council. In this respect, we call for the full implementation of Resolution 2719 to ensure predictable, adequate, and sustainable financing for authorized African Union-led peace support operations. Thirdly, our nation believes that our rich heritage and natural resource endowments must advance industrialization, modernization, and the green agenda for the prosperity of all, and not to finance conflict. As such, Zimbabwe shall support Africa silencing the guns agenda and strong action against terrorism, organized crime, illicit arms flows, and illegal resource trafficking. Finally, women and young people must shape peace from the outset. The support of Zimbabwe will also be extended to the women and youth peace and security agendas. The current times demand peacekeeping that is grounded in clear political strategies, realistic mandates, and adequate resources. Those most affected by the decisions of the Security Council should not be the least heard. There is need not only give a voice, but consider the views of the countries and regions on the Security Council agenda towards our shared aspirations for ensuring peace and sustainable development. Mr. President, restoring confidence in the collective security requires the Security Council to move beyond the outdated geopolitical realities of 1945. The long-standing position of Africa is outlined in the Azurine consensus and the city declaration should be granted. Africa is united, sovereign and independent. Africa is rising. The horse and rider mentality has no place in the contemporary international discourse. Zimbabwe affirms that institutional legitimacy depends on the consistent application of international law, sovereign equality, and the inalienable right to self-determination of all within the community of nations. Unelectoral coercive measures as a manipulative foreign policy tool are outdated in a global era which should be anchored on solidarity, mutually beneficial partnerships, and shared prosperity. I urge us to use this defining epoch in the history of our august organization to protect the United Nations Charter. The tendencies where our resolutions in international law are ignored should no longer be excused. Mr. President, peace cannot endure without development. With less than four years to implement the 2030 agenda, only 36% of the sustainable development goals are on track. or showing moderate progress, while developing countries face an annual financing gap exceeding US $4 trillion. This civil commitment must now be implemented through greater affordable, long-term and concessional finance, timely development-oriented debt treatment, and more effective channeling of special drawing rights. Development cannot flourish when its financing is prohibitively expensive. Reform must decisively address Africa's excessive risk premiums and the borrowing costs. The need to strengthen the voice of developing countries in global financial institutions curb illicit financial flows and tax abuse, as well as secure fair returns from natural resources cannot be overemphasized. Zimbabwe is continuously strengthening its capacity to mobilize domestic resources, enhance public financial management, and foster a favorable environment for productive investment. Under our National Vision 2030, we are strengthening the important linkage between mining and agriculture, which is driving growth in Zimbabwe's manufacturing sector. Bold reforms and macroeconomic policies have resulted in a three-fold growth in our GDP since 2017. Zimbabwe is indeed open for business. We are also pursuing food and nutrition security and climate-smart agriculture. My government is leaving no one and no place behind. Through our rural industrialization agenda and the invest rural policy, we are directing investment towards rural infrastructure, manufacturing hubs, and agro-processing facilities. More women and youth continue to enter value chain industries for both our local and regional markets. As droughts, floods, and declining threaten water, food and energy security, developed countries are called upon to honour their climate finance commitments in line with common but differentiated responsibilities. Mr. President, Zimbabwe welcomes the recommendations of the Secretary-General's Panel on the Critical Energy Transition Minerals and the country support mechanism. Critical minerals must become a foundation for inclusive development with value addition and a beneficiation at source, along with development of regional value chains being highly prioritized. Zimbabwe has more than 40 critical and rare earth minerals, and we have made bold decisions towards a mutually beneficial extractive industry. This has seen us dispatch the first export of locally produced lithium sulphate during the second quarter of the year, demonstrating that retaining value at the source is possible for shared prosperity. Harnessing emerging technologies for national development is a key priority for our industrialization agenda. Zimbabwe's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2026-2030 promotes human-centered, ethical, and responsible innovation. Artificial intelligence must narrow development gaps, while its military use, including in nuclear command and control must remain subject to human judgment, accountability, and international law. Regrettably, however, my country's national development initiatives have continued to be undermined by unilateral coercive measures imposed by some Western countries. We call for their immediate and unconditional removal. I reiterate, Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none, unless you choose to be an enemy. Civil, political, and economic, social, and cultural rights require equal protection and are best advanced through dialogue, cooperation, capacity building, and national ownership. On the 40th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development, Zimbabwe calls for the adoption and translation of its principles into binding international commitments. Racism and all forms of discrimination continue to deny millions the equal enjoyment of human rights and development. Accountability, education and awareness, as well as support for victims and engagement on reparatory justice remain critical pathways to truth, healing, restored dignity, and equality. My country, therefore, joins other member states in calling for the full implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Mr. President, Zimbabwe supports UNHCR reforms that reduce duplication, improve coordination, modernize systems, and strengthen field implementation. At this juncture of global development, the success of reforms should be reflected by conflicts prevented, development advanced, assistance delivered, and communities strengthened. The selection of the next Secretary-General, therefore, comes at a defining moment. The next holder of the office should be an impartial custodian of the Charter, an independent voice for peace, a bridge builder among member states, and an advocate for those whose voices seldom reach these walls. The process should be transparent, inclusive, and guided by merit, equitable geographical representation, and gender equality. Above all, the next General must bring the United Nations closer to the people. The Charter begins with, "We, the peoples of the United Nations." Those words should guide how the organization listens, how it communicates, and how it measures success. In conclusion, Zimbabwe will assume its role in the Security Council, mindful that membership is not a badge of honor, but a commitment to serve the community of nations. We will serve with balance and integrity, defend the sovereign equality of states, advance Africa's priorities, and work constructively with all regions. Let this 81st session be recorded as the session that closed the gap between the promises of the Charter and the realities of the daily life. Zimbabwe is ready to play its part in building the future we all want. God bless you all. I thank you.