THE United Nations Development Programmes Administrator, Achim Steiner, arrived in Harare Thursday afternoon to assess Zimbabwe’s state of preparedness to hold free, fair and credible make or break 2018 general elections expected in less than five months’ time.
By Costa Nkomo
He was welcomed and accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Major General Sibusiso Moyo.
Steiner, who also serve as the United Nations Development Group Vice Chair, will meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa marking a first visit by a UN official since resignation of Robert Mugabe in November 2017 after 37 years of power grip.
Briefing members of the media soon after his arrival, Steiner stressed UNDP’s commitment to guarantee the availability of essential elements to enable free, fair and credible elections in Zimbabwe.
“We are very much committed to the success of this election as we are committed also to the economic recovery of Zimbabwe as a nation in terms of its macro-economic incubators but also in the context of sustainable development of inclusiveness,” said Steiner.
He said his visit to Zimbabwe is a clear expression of engagements that aim to set the priorities of this coming election.
Expressing the government’s preparedness to positively collaborate with UNDP and the rest of the international community to hold credible elections, Minister Moyo said, “We will deliver a credible, free and fair election which should give a clear position to the rest of the world that we must live as member of the family of the nation in the world so that we can develop economical.”
As part of his visit, Steiner is expected to tour and assess voter registration facility to establish confidence in the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) in the coming elections.
Steiner will meet with a number of Independent Commissions, including the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, and the Gender Commission.
He will also tour HIV and AIDS programmes in Mbare and Mutoko.
Today, Steiner is expected deliver a keynote address at the launch of National Human Development report on Climate Change tomorrow in the capital.
His visit opens the door for international observers expected in the country ahead of the much expected harmonized elections.
Since taking over power from his predecessor, Mnangagwa has pledged free, fair and credible elections which the opposition has dismissed as rhetoric without electoral reforms in place.
