guest column:President Emmerson Mnangagwa ALLOW me first to congratulate you, Ambassador Volkan Bozkir on your election to the Presidency of the 75th Session of the General Assembly. Zimbabwe is confident that under your able stewardship, the General Assembly will proficiently address the challenges that are presently facing our organisation and our world. I also wish to convey our sincere gratitude to the President of the 74th Session of the Assembly, Professor Tijjani Muhamad Bande, for skilfully executing his responsibilities during his tenure. This year we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of our United Nations organisation. It is gratifying that we continue to make a qualitative difference in the lives of many people throughout the world. Our jubilation has sadly been marred by the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought to the fore the importance of unity and effective multilateral co-operation in building a future we want. The theme of this 75th Session “The future We Want, the United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitments to Multi-lateralism Confronting COVID-19 through Effective Multilateral Action is, therefore, apt and most appropriate. Today humanity is at a crossroads as we are confronted by complex challenges that do not respect any borders. Multilateralism is under increasing threat from the blind pursuit of narrow interests. We must, therefore, strengthen international amity and goodwill as well as uphold mutual respect and observe the sovereign equality of States. Your Excellencies, Zimbabwe is on a new path. Like other nations in the region, we are facing humanitarian challenges which in our case have been worsened by the illegal sanctions, the negative impact of climate change, and compounded by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, my administration continues to record notable achievements towards sustainable development which leaves no one behind. Our macro-economic stabilisation reforms have seen the reduction of our budget deficit to a single digit, as well as a positive balance of our current account, coupled with foreign exchange rate and prices stability. Major infrastructure projects are ongoing, such as the rehabilitation and construction of health service facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure as well as roads, dams and bridges across the country. Investments in mining, agriculture, tourism, energy and manufacturing sectors are on the increase. We are optimistic that the implementation of the second phase of Ease of Doing Business Reforms will help to further improve our World Bank rankings. Similarly, my administration is decisive in entrenching Constitutionalism, democracy and the rule of law, including the protection of property rights. The commitment of my government to these cardinal principles remains unwavering. It is in this spirit and in line with our Constitution that in July this year, my government concluded the landmark Global Compensation Agreement, with former farm owners. We count on the support and goodwill of the international community as we
