News / National
UN Human Rights chief expected today, to meet Mugabe, Tsvangirai
20 May 2012 at 08:13hrs | Views
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navanethem Pillay, is expected to arrive in the country today amid reports that some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been commissioned to regurgitate unsubstantiated claims of human rights abuses when they meet her this week.
Ms Pillay will during her five-day maiden visit to Zimbabwe also meet President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai separately.
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said Government invited her because it has "nothing to hide".
"She is coming at our invitation and we are happy that we will be able to host her because we have nothing to hide in terms of human rights issues," he said. "We first sent an invitation to her last year and she said she was occupied. We showed our commitment by extending another invitation in February. We are happy that she has accepted our invitation."
Chinamasa said Government was least concerned about the reports NGOs intend to present to her.
He was confident Zimbabwe abides by United Nations guidelines on human rights issues.
"We are not worried about what our detractors will say because, as a Government, we subscribe to United Nations provisions.
"That is why the UN has refused to sanction the sanctions that were imposed on us by the United States and Britain."
It emerged last week that Ms Pillay's visit has triggered massive jostling among Western-funded NGOs with some working on "dossiers" alleging an increase in human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Civic society insiders last week disclosed that some of the organisations were promised increased funding in return for presenting "convincing dossiers to Ms Pillay".
"Thousands of dollars have been set aside for this project and you are bound to see these NGOs jostling to make the loudest noise during Ms Pillay's visit," said a source.
"By their own admission, the financiers of this covert operation, the United States and some European countries, there is nothing dramatic to report about, hence the call for the NGOs to be 'imaginative' when presenting their 'dossiers.'"
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (Nango) programmes director Mr Machinda Marongwe refused to disclose details of what affiliates intend to present to the UN Human Rights chief.
He, however, revealed that a team of technocrats is working on the "dossiers".
"It would be folly for us to talk about what we are going to present to the Human Rights Commissioner before we have met her.
"We will issue a full statement after the meeting and after consulting with our technical experts."
Secretary for Justice and Legal Affairs Mr David Mangota said Ms Pillay would meet the heads of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.
"She is going to meet the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe, and the Prime Minister," he said.
"She will also meet Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku as well as the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Assembly."
Mr Mangota said Ms Pillay will tomorrow meet the ministers of Defence, Labour and Social Services, Foreign Affairs, Lands and Rural Resettlement, and Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, as well as senior officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
She is also expected to meet a cross-section of other stakeholders.
"The visit will be wide-ranging as she will be able to meet a cross-section of people in order to understand the human rights as well as the socio-economic issues in the country.
"On top of the high-level meetings, she will also visit a farm owned by an indigenous Zimbabwean as well as the tobacco auction floors on Wednesday," said Mr Mangota.
On Thursday, she is scheduled to attend a high-level meeting on HIV and Aids, which will also be graced by Malawian President Joyce Banda and her Liberian counterpart, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
She will deliver an economic and social rights lecture at the University of Zimbabwe on the same day.
She will also hold meetings with officials of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee, the Zimbabwe Media Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission before holding a Press conference on Friday.
Last Friday, Mr Mangota wrote to Nango advising them that Government had created space for more NGOs to meet Ms Pillay.
Part of the letter reads: "Pursuant to my letter of this 10th instant, Nango invited 55 civil society organisations. My office invited 44 civil society organisations, making a total number of invitees of 99 members. Twenty-five of the members which my office invited are on Nango's list of invitations. This leaves an outstanding balance of 19 civil society organisations.
"The room which Nango identified as the venue for the meeting accommodates only 55 civil society organisations. The total list of invitees who will see and talk to the visitor is 74, which is broken down into Nango's 55 and the ministry's 19."
Mr Mangota said Government invited all the identified NGOs although this posed challenges.
He said the meeting would be held in Parliament's spacious Senate chambers.
Ms Pillay will during her five-day maiden visit to Zimbabwe also meet President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai separately.
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said Government invited her because it has "nothing to hide".
"She is coming at our invitation and we are happy that we will be able to host her because we have nothing to hide in terms of human rights issues," he said. "We first sent an invitation to her last year and she said she was occupied. We showed our commitment by extending another invitation in February. We are happy that she has accepted our invitation."
Chinamasa said Government was least concerned about the reports NGOs intend to present to her.
He was confident Zimbabwe abides by United Nations guidelines on human rights issues.
"We are not worried about what our detractors will say because, as a Government, we subscribe to United Nations provisions.
"That is why the UN has refused to sanction the sanctions that were imposed on us by the United States and Britain."
It emerged last week that Ms Pillay's visit has triggered massive jostling among Western-funded NGOs with some working on "dossiers" alleging an increase in human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.
Civic society insiders last week disclosed that some of the organisations were promised increased funding in return for presenting "convincing dossiers to Ms Pillay".
"Thousands of dollars have been set aside for this project and you are bound to see these NGOs jostling to make the loudest noise during Ms Pillay's visit," said a source.
"By their own admission, the financiers of this covert operation, the United States and some European countries, there is nothing dramatic to report about, hence the call for the NGOs to be 'imaginative' when presenting their 'dossiers.'"
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (Nango) programmes director Mr Machinda Marongwe refused to disclose details of what affiliates intend to present to the UN Human Rights chief.
He, however, revealed that a team of technocrats is working on the "dossiers".
"It would be folly for us to talk about what we are going to present to the Human Rights Commissioner before we have met her.
"We will issue a full statement after the meeting and after consulting with our technical experts."
"She is going to meet the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, President Mugabe, and the Prime Minister," he said.
"She will also meet Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku as well as the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Assembly."
Mr Mangota said Ms Pillay will tomorrow meet the ministers of Defence, Labour and Social Services, Foreign Affairs, Lands and Rural Resettlement, and Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, as well as senior officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
She is also expected to meet a cross-section of other stakeholders.
"The visit will be wide-ranging as she will be able to meet a cross-section of people in order to understand the human rights as well as the socio-economic issues in the country.
"On top of the high-level meetings, she will also visit a farm owned by an indigenous Zimbabwean as well as the tobacco auction floors on Wednesday," said Mr Mangota.
On Thursday, she is scheduled to attend a high-level meeting on HIV and Aids, which will also be graced by Malawian President Joyce Banda and her Liberian counterpart, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
She will deliver an economic and social rights lecture at the University of Zimbabwe on the same day.
She will also hold meetings with officials of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee, the Zimbabwe Media Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission before holding a Press conference on Friday.
Last Friday, Mr Mangota wrote to Nango advising them that Government had created space for more NGOs to meet Ms Pillay.
Part of the letter reads: "Pursuant to my letter of this 10th instant, Nango invited 55 civil society organisations. My office invited 44 civil society organisations, making a total number of invitees of 99 members. Twenty-five of the members which my office invited are on Nango's list of invitations. This leaves an outstanding balance of 19 civil society organisations.
"The room which Nango identified as the venue for the meeting accommodates only 55 civil society organisations. The total list of invitees who will see and talk to the visitor is 74, which is broken down into Nango's 55 and the ministry's 19."
Mr Mangota said Government invited all the identified NGOs although this posed challenges.
He said the meeting would be held in Parliament's spacious Senate chambers.
Source - SM
