Full preliminary findings of the UN special rapporteur on sanctions to Zimbabwe

Water and sanitation: Government spending on water, sanitation and hygiene has increased, but urban-rural disparities remain and rural communities still have limited access to basic drinking water services. In 2019, 77.1% households in Zimbabwe had access to improved sources of drinking water. Expanding urbanisation and informal settlements have given rise to unsanitary and unhygienic conditions that increase the risk of disease and water contamination.

Environmental protection: The government aims to protect the environment and promote sustainable resource production; however, it also plans to expand the mining sector to promote economic development by re-opening closed mines, developing new mines and increasing domestic mineral processing, all of which can produce land degradation, pollution and toxic waste. A 2002 law to better organize environmental management and enforcement has had limited success; a key problem cited is the lack of sufficient funds.

Transportation: Zimbabwe has heavy road traffic deaths (6.46% of all deaths in 2018, according to WHO data) due largely to poor roads and the poor condition of cars. In June 2021, the government said roads and bridges around the country urgently needed reconstruction. Most imported automobiles are used ones, many with defects. The railway network is mostly managed by National Railways of Zimbabwe; between 2009 and 2019, its operating capacity plunged as tracks, signals and telecommunication systems deteriorated amid a lack of maintenance, attributed to financial constraints. Rehabilitating the network is a current priority. Zimbabwe has six international and four large domestic airports, plus many small ones, often without paved runways. Two international airports are being upgraded. The national carrier, Air Zimbabwe, has had intermittent serious financial trouble.

In 2001, official development assistance allocated to Zimbabwe dropped to a historic low of about 160 million USD. As Western humanitarian and development aid gradually declined, the country also experienced an exodus of private businesses. Zimbabwe was thus abandoned to its own mercy, unable to access international aid and financing for many years, and it was expelled from the global financial markets. Approximately 80% of international financial operations from Zimbabwe are in US dollars and require clearance by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), while the remaining 20% are in euros and yen.

Continued next page

(981 VIEWS)