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Anti-Gay Regime Likely
To Head Key UN Body
 12
May 2007- Zimbabwe is likely to win approval to head a key U.N. body
charged with promoting economic progress and environmental protection
despite protests from some Western countries and human rights
organizations.
The 53-member
Commission on Sustainable Development is scheduled to vote Friday on its
new chair, U.N. officials said. The chair traditionally rotates among
regions of the world, and it is Africa's choice this year. The continent
has chosen Zimbabwe as its candidate, and the government has nominated
Francis Nhema, the minister of environment and tourism for the post.
"For Zimbabwe to
lead any U.N. body is preposterous," said Jennifer Windsor, executive
director of Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization
that has monitored political rights and civil liberties in Zimbabwe
since 1980.
She said President
Robert Mugabe's government "clearly has nothing but scorn for the U.N.'s
founding principles of human rights, security and international law."
Freedom House
called on other members of the commission to block Zimbabwe's selection,
but that appeared unlikely because of widespread support for the
rotation system.
Several European
nations have called Zimbabwe's candidacy inappropriate, and the United
States said Zimbabwe would not be an effective leader of the commission.
"Zimbabwe is
hardly a model of good governance or sustainable development or even
responsible leadership," said Benjamin Chang, deputy spokesman for the
U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
"Our concern is
that it's potential chairmanship would undermine the commission's
credibility," he said. "The commission is to address themes such as
sustainable agriculture and rural development at a time when Zimbabwe's
government has turned the country from the breadbasket of southern
African to the country with the highest rate of inflation and a
decimated agriculture sector."
The commission was
established by the General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective
follow-up of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June that year
and implementation of key environmental and development agreements.
The commission
meets annually in New York, and its current session that opened
Wednesday is focusing on energy for sustainable development, industrial
development, air pollution and climate change.
Mugabe, an
83-year-old former anti-colonial rebel who has ruled Zimbabwe since it
gained independence from Britain in 1980, has acknowledged that police
used violent methods against opposition supporters and killed at least
one activist. He has warned alleged perpetrators of unrest that they
would be "bashed" again if violence continued.
Zimbabwe's ruling
party has endorsed Mugabe as its candidate in next year's presidential
election. Victory would allow him to stay in power until 2013, when he
would be nearly 90.
On Friday, the Pan
African Parliament, a body of the African Union, voted to send a mission
to Zimbabwe to investigate alleged human rights abuses "relating to the
arrests and detention, assault and murder of political activists and
members of the media."
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