Zimbabwe

Canada's Commitment
Results
Country Profile

Canada's Commitment

Canada is helping the people of Zimbabwe address the HIV/AIDS pandemic and improve respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Between 1998 and 2000, CIDA began substantially downsizing its program in response to concerns about governance under the presidency of Robert Mugabe. Due to irregularities in Zimbabwe's March 2002 presidential elections, Canada suspended all funding to the Government of Zimbabwe. Canada's support for Zimbabwe is now channelled through civil society, non-governmental, international, and multilateral organizations. Canada continues to review its aid programs in the country in order to respond effectively to the rapidly evolving situation.

Canada's primary interest is to prevent a further decline in peace, order, and governance in Zimbabwe. In doing so, Canada hopes to help create a political and economic environment that encourages respect for the rights of the individual. Humanitarian assistance continues to be provided based on identified needs.

CIDA's Zimbabwe program is contributing to health and democratic governance in the country through programs that focus on HIV/AIDS, human rights and the rule of law.

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Results

The Zimbabwe program has been effective in producing results despite what the UN has called a "protracted, complex humanitarian emergency".

Here is a sampling of results in Zimbabwe to which CIDA has contributed support:

In human rights and the rule of law

• The Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe trained police, the judiciary, teachers, civil society, traditional leaders, and the public on the Domestic Violence Act in Masvingo province. This led to authorities and traditional leaders responding more effectively in cases of domestic violence.
• Over 341 student peer-educators in Harare province were trained on the rights of the child and child protection. As a result 3,487 children benefited from an official review of their cases, which primarily concerned issues of custody, birth registration, child support, and abuse.
• Thirteen policy briefs and 11 research papers provided valuable evidence for recommendations that were then brought forward in public land tenure dialogues to improve access to land and slow the further deterioration of the agriculture sector.
• Victims of political violence received medical care and counselling.
• Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights defended over 300 persons who were arbitrarily arrested.
• Reporting on human rights violations increased through activities such as training 30 Zimbabwean media practitioners on how to report human rights abuses and promote the rights of human rights defenders through the media.
• Independent parallel tabulation of parliamentary results in March 2008 limited the scope for electoral malfeasance by officials.

In HIV/AIDS

• Fifty-one rural health clinics have been upgraded to provide more comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment services to mothers and children.
• Over 46,000 identified patients have been put on anti-retroviral treatment
• About 18,000 antenatal women were tested for HIV/AIDS and over 15,000 were given antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother to child transmission

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Country Profile

Once one of the wealthiest nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe has experienced a profound political, social, and economic crisis since the late 1990s, which has led to rising levels of poverty, the fastest-shrinking economy in the world, and a critical humanitarian situation.

An unprecedented minority win in the March 2008 elections by the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change was marked by months of political violence and instability leading up to, and following, the June 2008 stolen presidential run-off elections. A power-sharing agreement signed in September 2008 between MDC and ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) came into effect when Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as the Prime Minister of the new Government of National Unity in February 2009.

Zimbabwe faces considerable development challenges. Record hyperinflation led to the total collapse of the local currency. Decades of resource mismanagement have ruined essential social services and infrastructure, precipitating a nationwide cholera epidemic.

Yet, there is hope for this country: in 2003, the primary school completion rate was 80 percent, and by 2004, nearly 98 percent of all Zimbabweans 15-24 years old were literate.

Canada continues to monitor closely the situation in Zimbabwe to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches those in need.