February 1, 2008
No. 24
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the following
statement concerning Zimbabwe:
“Canada is concerned about the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, where elections
have been called for March 29, 2008. We note in particular the recent use of force by
police against members of Zimbabwe’s political opposition. Free and fair elections
require that basic rights of assembly, association and expression be safeguarded and
upheld by state institutions.
“Member states of the Southern African Development Community, which includes
Zimbabwe, have agreed in their Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic
Elections to adhere to a number of principles when conducting democratic elections.
We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to respect these commitments and abide by its
international human rights obligations.
“Canada continues to be strongly supportive of the Southern African Development
Community’s efforts to facilitate dialogue between the Government of Zimbabwe and
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in their efforts to reach a peaceful
political agreement. This process has yielded results, including constitutional and
legislative amendments related to the freedom of assembly and expression, as well as
to the electoral process. Canada is concerned, however, that a lack of time or political
will may make effective implementation of these negotiated changes impossible.
“Canada urges all parties to continue to work toward a negotiated, peaceful solution to
Zimbabwe’s current crisis, based on full respect for human rights and democratic
principles and on the holding of genuinely free and fair elections.”
Canada suspended bilateral development assistance to the Government of Zimbabwe
in 2002 in response to Zimbabwe’s poor human rights record. The Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA) supports programs that provide assistance to
the people of Zimbabwe through Canadian, Zimbabwean and international civil society
organizations. These organizations are working in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention,
care and treatment; poverty alleviation; governance; gender equality; and humanitarian
assistance. In 2006-07, CIDA’s assistance amounted to approximately $11.6 million.
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