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Elita Chikwati and Sibongile Maruta
The United Nations (UN) is confident Zimbabwe will hold free and fair elections in a peaceful manner.

This came out during a high-level review meeting to validate and take stock of development results under the 2016-2020 Zimbabwe UN Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF)’s contributions to national development priorities.

The meeting, which was co-chaired by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda and UN resident co-ordinator Mr Bishow Parajuli, brought together over 140 delegates, including senior Government officials and UN heads of agencies, diplomatic corps, heads of development agencies, civil society organisation and the private sector.

Mr Parajuli said his organisation had worked with the Government and assisted in preparations for the 2018 harmonised elections.

He said there had been various technical co-operation by the UN during the election period to achieve free, fair and peaceful elections.

“There have been various levels of technical co-operation for the last two-and-a-half years,” said Mr Parajuli.

“We have been working with Government on the Biometric Voter Registration process.

“We have been working behind the election commission. We have been working, strengthening capacity in various sectors such as training programmes, voters’ education, promoting and enhancing electoral cycle with the civil society and understanding secrecy of the ballot paper.

“They are prepared to run free and fair elections in a peaceful manner as directed by his Excellency the President of Zimbabwe.”

Mr Parajuli commended Government for making a big effort in terms of opening up for business and committing to a peaceful environment of the elections.

“The process of 23 presidential candidates coming together to sign a peace deal is a milestone issue,” he said.

Mr Parajuli said the UN was making efforts to work with Government to improve lives on health, education and poverty reduction and creating a positive enabling environment to promote human rights and democratic governance.

Dr Sibanda said Government recognised and appreciated the UN country team as a neutral and an impartial friend of Zimbabwe which stood for universal values and norms of the UN system.

“The year 2017 represented a historic year of political transition in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“It is important to note that in this process, the UN has renewed its collective commitment to support the new Government and the people of Zimbabwe to realise their aspirations in the new dispensation, as well as supporting national efforts to foster social cohesion and peace, economic recovery and job creation, improved quality delivery of social services, anti-corruption programme, accelerated reforms in the public sector, credible, transparent and peaceful elections which are near us, and the re-engagement process with the international community.”

Dr Sibanda commended development partners and the UN family for the results delivered under the 2016-2020 ZUNDAF which stands at $931 million (58 percent) in terms of programme delivery at mid-point of the five-year programme cycle.

He said the statement made by the UN after the unfortunate event in Bulawayo on Saturday where there was a blast at a Zanu-PF rally was well received by Government in the spirit of building a peaceful environment for the upcoming harmonised elections.