By Staff Reporter
The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to helping Zimbabwe accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Speaking at a steering committee meeting in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe Edward Kallon said the UN stands ready to support Zimbabwe through the mobilization of expertise, brokering effective partnerships, and ensuring that financing and policy solutions are coherent, socially just, and environmentally sustainable.
“It is through a collective will and practical solidarity that Zimbabwe can achieve the SDGs within the next five years,” Kallon said, adding that progress on SDGs will hinge on collective political will, fiscal discipline, and continued macroeconomic stability.
To accelerate Zimbabwe’s progress towards the SDGs, Kallon said Zimbabwe should urgently resolve its external debt and arrears to unlock concessionary financing for development, boost investments in renewable energy for rapid rural electrification, boost digital connectivity and its food and land systems.
“The debt and arrears resolution must be sequenced to protect the poor and preserve policy space for SDG investments,” Kallon said, noting that Zimbabwe deserves access to concessional finance and guarantees to attract private capital for key sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, and productive activities.
He said Zimbabwe should invest in resilient urban infrastructure, public transport, water and sanitation, and affordable housing to absorb urbanization and create jobs, as well as boost industrialization, social protection, and the care economy.
Kallon said Zimbabwe should also strengthen its statistical capacity to enable the collection of timely, disaggregated, and interoperable data to guide evidence-based adjustments and ensure accountability in sustainable development efforts.
He urged Zimbabwe to develop a comprehensive national SDGs acceleration plan for the next five years that clearly aligns with its national development goals.
“It is essential to scale up targeted, country-led investments that aim to lift people out of poverty by strengthening essential systems such as food security, universal health coverage, water and sanitation, adequate housing, energy access, and quality education,” he added.
