Zimababwe crisis

Hello fellow delegates,

This year, South Africa will propose a resolution to solve Zimbabwe's political and economical crisis. Zimbabwe, who once was Africa's shining star, is in the midst of an economical and political crisis, marked by the world's highest inflation of 231 million percent, expensive piercing fuel, food shortages, widespread poverty, an unsustainable fiscal deficit, and an overvalued official exchange rate. South Africa is deeply concerned with the country's situation and urges the other countries in the Security Council to manifest their thoughts and doubts and share their positions towards this significant issue

hambani kahle ushomi!

Delegate,
China believes all nations are in favor of aiding Zimbabwe in regards to poverty, diseases etc.
Question is, what is South Africa's plan in order to fix Zimbabwe's issues, taking into consideration Mr. Mugabee's presidency?

Fellow delegate of China,

In South Africa's resolution, it is proposed an agreement to end the deadlock over the power-sharing deal between the legitimate president, Robert Mugabe and the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai. In addition to this, it is proposed a presidential election by 2009 monitored by the United Nations to solve any ongoing fued. However, South Africa urges for all countries to suspend the economical sanctions imposed in Zimbabwe, since South Africa believes that this issue can be resolved through negotiations, thus, making sactions unnecessary.

What is the delegate's position regarding this issue?

Delegate o South Africa,

Sanctions have taken their toll on the Iranian economy. Sanctions have at no time bent our will, but only strengthened our resolve to pursue policies in defense of our rights and the rights of our people. Therefore, we agree that the political and financial crisis in Zimbabwe has to be solved through incentives, not threats. We fully acknolwedge the continuous mediation efforts the South African president has put into developing Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal, and we appreciate South African leadership on the matter. It is essential that the true nature of Zimbabwe's ailments be understood. The West cannot merely apply its "economic, political magic formula" of sactions and international pressure to Zimbabwe because that formula is not, and has never been efficient.

South Africa has taken the lead in paving the road for economic and political stability in Zimbabwe, and Iran is ready to offer its aid and support to build a stronger Zimbabwe.

Delegate of Iran,

South Africa is very thankful to the words of the Iranian delegate. In complete agreement, South Africa believes that Zimbabwe's situation has to be solved through incentives and through negotiations, not threats or sanctions that are only causing difficulties to the country. In addition to this, South Africa would like to thank Iran for its support in coming together with South Africa to build a better and stronger Zimbabwe.

;D

Delegate of south Africa,
i have noticed that you are questioning a lot my resolution. so... what are your plans for Zimbabwe????
Proposing new elections in 2009?????? hahahahah. so... what will happen to the people until 2009? Will you abandon and forget the problems??????
Solutions must be present NOW. FREE, FAIR ELECTIONS MUST BE HELD NOW, THIS YEAR.

thank you

erm..kenya... its barely 2 months until 2009. The delegate makes it sound as if it is an entire year. It will be just enough time to organize all the proceedings, will it not?

Delegate of Kenya,

First of all, lets leave the sarcasm and skepticism out of this issue. How can Kenya suggest that South Africa is planning to abandon the Zimbabweans? Wasn’t Thabo Mbeki, former South African president that persuaded both the president, Mugabe and the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai to create a power-sharing deal to end the issue within the country? Isn’t South Africa mediating the deal to end the deadlock over the allocation of the ministries?

Fellow delegate of Kenya, South Africa is deeply concerned with the situation in Zimbabwe, however, South Africa believes that the power-sharing deal that has been signed on September 25th 2008 should be a transitional government until the elections in 2009. Since the delegation of Kenya has not read South Africa’s resolution, it should not so rudely respond to the endless efforts that South Africa has been making in trying to solve this ongoing issue. Furthermore, the delegation of Kenya should be aware of the formation of a grand coalition between President Mwai Kibaki and the opposition leader Raila Odinga that has been successful to the progress of your nation, after election crisis in Kenya in 2008. Therefore delegate, a transitional government is necessary, as the one existing in Kenya. What seems rather ironical to the South African delegation is that the delegate seems to be against the power-sharing deal between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, when the Kenyan government is in fact based on a power-sharing agreement. And still, the delegate has the audacity to propose an impeachment when its country recently suffered from a similar electoral crisis.

In South Africa's resolution, it is proposed the immediate suspension of the economical sanctions in Zimbabwe and the intervention of the United Nations in the power-sharing deal to end the deadlock. Delegate, my advice is as follows: before accusing South Africa, lets be certain on the information provided for the benefit of the discussion.

best regards.

The delegate of Pakistan would like to clear out that South Africa has always been in favor of sanctions, after all, they have helped the country prosper. And since South Africa itself emphasizes that there is no need for sanctions in the Zimbabwean situation, the delegate of Pakistan agrees with this point of view. After all, sanctions in Zimbabwe would destroy the economy drastically. There are no conditions of prospering with sanctions, since the situation has actually reached a critical point! Delegate of South Africa, thank you for clearing things out too!

Delegate of Pakistan,

Thank you for supporting this resolution proposed by South Africa. This is an issue of major concern, and as the delegate said, sanctions are not necessary since it would only cause further suffering to the country, and mainly to the people!

Could South Africa please clarify why should sanctions be lifted before having a "fair election?"
xie xie

Fellow delegate of China,

It must be in the delegate's knowledge of the common interest between China and South Africa. Russia and China wielded their veto to kill a resolution imposing UN sanctions on President Mugabe. South Africa believes that the sanctions should be lifted for many reasons, but completely agrees with the reason that the Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Wang Guangya, said when he vetoed the resolution, “Internationally, to use or threaten to use sanctions lightly is not conducive to solving a problem.”

Even though China did veto the resolution mentioned by South Africa, she raises a valid point.
If the US delegate is not mistaken, South Africa's plan is to hold democratic elections in 2009. Why should the sanctions be lifted from Zimbabwe before elections that are eminent? The US strongly believes that keeping the sanctions will ensure that the elections happen. If sanctions are lifted, the government will be less erm... compelled to cooperate with the UN.

Delegate,

Punitive sanctions in Zimbabwe at this point will only damage even further the conditions that the country is living in today. Furthermore delegate, Zimbabwe needs help, not sanctions. It is of utmost importance that the sanctions are lifted in order to have better Zimbabwe. South Africa also wants to put in effect the power-sharing deal between the president and the prime-minister and asks for the cooporation of the countries of this council to stabilize this nation and help its people.

Felipe,
Colombia is not against your resolution. Definitely not. I personally consider it inhumane that Zimbabwe's economic crisis has lasted for so long. Two hundred thirty-one MILLION per cent????????? That's absurd!

However, I agree with the delegates of the US and China when they say that if the sanctions are lifted before the elections, Zimbabwe might be uncooperative, which would only make the problem worse. If sanctions are lifted after the election, the delegate of Colombia believes that the country would work very well.

Please, however, state your ideas and/or facts, because my opinion is not permanent. I do want to hear what you have to say about it.

Cheers.

Delegates, I would just like to share some information regarding the Zimbabwean inflation crisis. As you might know, the government has not given official values about the inflation since July. Considering the pace at which the Zimbabwean inflation rate increases, this data does not reflect the present situation. However, there are ways to estimate the inflation rate today, such as with the Hanke Hyperinflation Index for Zimbabwe (HHIZ). According to it, as of November 7, the country's annual inflation rate has reached the amazing value of 516 Quintillion percent! Yes, quintillion. Interestingly, the country's economy is resisting, although Zimbabwe presents an unemployment rate of 80%.

http://cato.org/zimbabwe

Dear Delegates,

Iran has suffered under illegitimate and disproportionate Security Council sanctions for two years now, not to mention the unilateral economic and military sactions imposed by the United States since the Iranian Revolution. It is a fact that they cannot be used as a coercive means. Zimbabwe can choose to dismiss them as weak international pressure. On the other hand, if we are to ensure that a democratic electoral process takes place, the lifting of sanctions will give Zimbabwean leaders proof of the Security Council's commitment to their political process.

We can choose to hit harder a nation already plagued by political strife and economic devastation. But not too far in history we can find one perfect example of how that will only aggravate the conflict and maybe create a negative ripple effect: Post-WWI Germany was completely bankrupt. The Great Depression further depleted its reserves and lowered the value of the Deutsche Mark. Germans were burning paper money, for it was worthless. France and England, blinded by their economic needs and WWI political traumas, further strangled the German people by forcing Germany to pay its huge war debt established in the Treaty of Versailles. Starvation and unemployment were widespread. The Germans were suffering. And then what happened? They found Herr Hitler, the man with the ideas of how to bring Germany back to its feet - and also the man with the guts to implement those ideas. And that's how the III German Reich began, drawing the unsuspecting world to one of its deadliest wars in modern history, and so poorly handling the problem of the Jews, who eventually immigrated to Palestine and stole Arab land.

The point is, ladies and gentleman, that sanctions will not ensure fair elections. On the contrary, they may instill further anti-Western feelings upon the Zimbabwean population (which wouldn't be at all bad from Iran's point of view). If the Security Council wishes to reach a peaceful and democratic solution to Zimbabwe's crisis, then it will have to act first - and the way to go is to follow South Africa's proposal that the sanctions be lifted by the Security Council and the European Union as well. Only then will Zimbabwe know for sure that the international community wants to engage in serious multilateral talks.

Delegates,
it is important to take into consideration, not the political interests of ones nation, but the interest of the Zimbabwean population.
"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that sanctions will not ensure fair elections. On the contrary, they may instill further anti-Western feelings upon the Zimbabwean population (which wouldn't be at all bad from Iran's point of view). "
The delegate states that sanctions are going to be prejudicial to the people, since it would not ensure fair elections, however it demonstrates its aproval towards the anti-western feeling that would trigger in the Zimbabwean government. This shows the total disregard of the delegate towards the interest of the people.
The USA delegation is in favor of maintaining the sanctions upon Zimbabwe, in an attempt to guarantee that the fair elections will be held as soon as possible, by pressuring the present beligerent administration.
Let's analyze what is best for the PEOPLE, and leave differences in political interests aside.
Thank you,
delegate of the United States

Furthermore, in relation to the reference to World War II.
World War II only happened since the League of Nations allowed Germany to initiate its activities. One good example would be the Conference of Munique, where the League of Nations allowed Germany to occupy certain areas of Tchecoslovaquia. The indifference towards Germany's expansion was what actually triggered the war. If the League of Nations took an initiative from the beginning, the war would probably not have happened. Their will to protect a threatening governemtn due to their economic status was the big mistake.
We cannot repeat this error. If we do not keep Zimbabwe under control until these elections, the situation could worsen.
Thank you,
The United States

"Let's analyze what is best for the PEOPLE, and leave differences in political interests aside."

Fellow delegate of United States,

Zimbabwe needs help, not sanctions. Sanctions are destroying the nation, and causing harm mainly to the people. Could the delegate state how the sanctions are helping the five million people who are starving in Zimbabwe? Could the delegate state how the sanctions are building the homes of the 700,000 homeless Zimbabweans? Or how the sanctions are giving jobs to the 80% of the population that is unemployed? Or how is it diminishing the record-breaking inflation? Lets stop being cynical here delegate, saying that the sanctions are to the benefit of the people. Lets stop being skeptic about this situation and lift the sanctions from this nation that is suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis in history.

regards.

The United States’ sanctions target only those responsible for Zimbabwe's political crisis and not ordinary citizens. They support regional and international efforts to convince Zimbabwe’s government to abandon political repression and engage in meaningful dialogue with the political opposition. The U.S. Government’s interests in Zimbabwe are to prevent further deterioration of the political and economic situation, to strengthen the prospects for stability by fortifying civil society and democratic institutions
The commitment of the United States towards the people of Zimbabwe can be observed through the measures being taken by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID's program to mitigate Zimbabwe's HIV and AIDS crisis includes training, technical assistance, and commodities to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS, improve maternal health and nutrition, and build the capacity of the health system

USAID’s program is designed to help civil society organizations express their views on legislative matters, and to support Parliament’s ability to be more receptive to their positions, since the Government of Zimbabwe has responded by tightening restrictions on the independent media and journalists, and proposing legislation that would curb the work of non-governmental organizations

USAID's economic opportunities program is designed to enhance food security and facilitate income-generating activities for the disadvantaged, mainly communal area (rural) residents, women, under- and unemployed youth, the urban poor, the disabled, orphans and farm workers. The program includes improved agricultural practices, drought-tolerant crops, better access to markets, household nutrition gardens, business opportunity centers, and a legal services program.

USAID provided a total of 298,000 metric tons of food commodities to the United Nation’s World Food Program. A further 169,000 metric tons was distributed, through a group of international nongovernmental organizations, to vulnerable individuals and food-insecure rural households through various programs. Nonfood assistance amounted to over $12 million in fiscal years 2003 and 2004. USAID continues to provide targeted feeding to schools and the most disadvantaged.

Not only that delegate of South Africa,
U.S. sanctions are not aimed at the general economy and do not impose an economic “blockade” on Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean firms not connected to government leaders are free to do business with American firms; Americans firms are free to invest in and trade with Zimbabwe, so long as they avoid business deals with top officials
The government of Zimbabwe is lying when it blames the country’s economic collapse on sanctions. The economy is collapsing because of government corruption, mismanagement, and the undermining of the rule of law. In Zimbabwe today, government cronies get farms while food prices are soaring. Ruling party insiders get contracts while fuel is in short supply. Government ministers take trips abroad while inflation eats up salaries of ordinary people.
It tries to blame sanctions for issues caused by itself.
Sanctions are not threatening the people, the government is.

well USA delegate,
if your so called USAID program was being effective, Zimbabweans would not be encountered in such depracating conditions!
don't be mistaken and furthermore, don't ignore that sanctions are effecting the people as well. Tell Zimbabweans that sanctions are aiding them, lets see what is their response! South Africa's resolution, regards having fair elections, if the government will change, what is the need to mantain sanctions? Don't worry USA, with your program there and the UN analytically inspecting new elections, sucess will be garanteed when changing the government.

"Dont worry USA"
This attitude is what actually worries.
Delegates, the USAID program, as well as the UN humanitarian aid, are there to ensure that the sanctions won't harm the people...
However, they are important to pressure the government to comply with the fair elections being proposed, in order to prevent further frauds from happening, and therefore, prevent further harmful administrations to control the country.

delegate, the government has still not expressed any change in attitude, even after the imposition of sanctions! sanctions are only serving as a burden to the nation. If they are not feeling affected by the sanctions should we countinue with this plan?