Support for rebuilding a country damaged by political conflict and economic decline is being shown by the combined efforts of a wide range of Commonwealth institutions and associations
Several Commonwealth organisations are collaborating on a new programme to support the people of Zimbabwe as they rebuild their country after a decade of decline. They have followed the lead of Commonwealth leaders, who at their last meeting in Trinidad & Tobago in 2009 declared that they looked forward to Zimbabwe’s return to membership.
Throughout 2010, Commonwealth organizations hosted conferences involving government ministers and senior officials from Zimbabwe and these provided opportunities to set out several plans for the future. Important meetings were held on education, local government and the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure such as roads, railways and telecommunications.
Recognising that local government in Zimbabwe has a key role in providing essential infrastructure and delivering basic services to the community, the Commonwealth Local Government Forum is now actively helping to strengthen a programme of technical support to Zimbabwe’s urban and rural councils.
At the same time, Commonwealth nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), working alongside other international partners, have contributed both to Zimbabwe’s constitutional review process and to promoting new approaches to generating local government financing.
The Commonwealth Foundation, an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to strengthening civil society across the Commonwealth, has played a key role in promoting closer ties with civil society organisations (CSOs) in Zimbabwe and in encouraging the involvement of the Commonwealth’s formal institutions and professional associations. The Foundation has also helped to promote interest and involvement in Zimbabwe among professional associations and NGOs.
Media reform is another key issue at the centre of the Commonwealth’s engagement with Zimbabwe and a new ‘cluster’ has emerged bringing together different organisations that share a common interest. The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association has been an active member of the media cluster and supported the visit to the UK of Tabani Moyo, advocacy officer for the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA).
The purpose of his visit was to inform the Commonwealth about media conditions in Zimbabwe and the work of the new Media Commission.
MISA has urged the Zimbabwean government to implement reforms that would open up the space for the transparent and democratic regulation of the media and protect the freedom of information, particularly in the run-up to the next election.
Among other partners who share a concern for the future of Zimbabwe is Common Purpose, which is an organisation that brings people together from different backgrounds to help them become more effective leaders in society. Their courses provide insights into the ways that leaders, from all walks of life, can tackle day-to-day challenges in towns and cities. Common Purpose ran pilot courses between May and June 2010 for leaders in the Zimbabwean diaspora living in the UK and in South Africa. Applications were sought from those who demonstrated a commitment to making a positive difference to Zimbabwe and who had a background in leadership roles in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
In 2009, candidates from CSOs in Zimbabwe became eligible to apply for the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship Scheme and in early 2011 a group of professionals from Zimbabwe will benefit from this programme. The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is an international programme under which member governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
Zimbabwean engineers living in the UK attended a conference in London hosted by the Commonwealth Engineers Council. Delegates from engineering and financial institutions, government agencies and diaspora groups heard the Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara outline his government’s plans for getting Zimbabwe’s infrastructure back on track. Commonwealth CSOs can open up new opportunities to benefit the people of Zimbabwe.
The Commonwealth Foundation is now developing a ‘clearing house’ for the different projects that can apply Commonwealth resources to rebuilding Zimbabwe. The process is intended to help create the conditions that will enable the country to return to Commonwealth membership. The clearing house will build on what has been achieved so far and strengthen the growing network of organisations and individuals across the Commonwealth that want to see Zimbabwe play a full part in the work of the association.
