STATEMENT BY BRUSSELS-BASED SADC AMBASSADORS ON SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON ZIMBABWE
NOTING that the people of Zimbabwe have suffered for a long time due to the impact of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and that the sanctions have had spillover effects in the region.
RECALLING the 39th SADC Summit decision 16 of 18 August 2019 which noted the adverse impact on the economy of Zimbabwe and the region at large, of prolonged economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, and expressed solidarity with Zimbabwe, and called for the immediate lifting of the sanctions to facilitate socio-economic recovery in the country as well as an effective and sustainable SADC regional economic integration.
FURTHER RECALLING that the SADC Summit declared the 25th October 2019 as the date on which SADC Member States can collectively voice their disapproval of the sanctions through various activities and platforms until the sanctions are lifted.
NOTING that at the SADC-EU Senior Officials Political Dialogue Meeting held in Brussels on 17 September 2019, the SADC side emphatically called upon the EU to remove the remaining sanctions against Zimbabwe.
FURTHER NOTING that Zimbabwe is on course in implementing economic and political reforms and that the reform process is ongoing.
EMPHASIZING the need to allow the country to pursue the reforms without the debilitating effects of economic sanctions.
CALL on the EU to remove all the remaining sanctions on Zimbabwe during the upcoming review of sanctions in February 2020.
ASK the EU to work with SADC in lobbying the USA to lift its sanctions by repealing the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA).
CALL on ACP Member States to take note of the SADC Summit’s decision.
REQUEST ACP Member States to stand in solidarity with SADC and call for the immediate removal of all sanctions against Zimbabwe
Note to editors
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a Regional Economic Community comprising 16 Member States; Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Established in 1992, SADC is committed to Regional Integration and poverty eradication within Southern Africa through economic development and ensuring peace and security.