Zimbabwe champions rights of minorities President

• Published date: 22 September 2022
• Publication title: The Chronicle

The Chronicle Fungi Kwaramba in NEW YORK, USA ZIMBABWE has come up with a wide range of measures to ensure inclusion of minorities in all facets of the socio-economic fabric of society as part of development that leaves no one and no place behind, President Mnangagwa said yesterday. In his address at the commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, President Mnangagwa said deliberate policy measures such as devolution, and the adoption of a Constitution that recognises 16 official languages demonstrate his administration's respect for the rights of minorities.

"We are convinced that democratic systems should give due importance to the full enjoyment of the rights of minorities within our countries as protected by both domestic and international law. "This commemorative event is therefore a timely and powerful reminder of our individual and collective obligation to deliver on the commitments contained in the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities.

"In the case of Zimbabwe, the rights of minorities are enshrined and protected in our new national Constitution, as adopted in 2013. With regard to languages, Section 6 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe now recognises 16 languages up from the previous three national languages. United Nations headquarters in New York ''More attention is now given to the learning and teaching of minority languages, and their use as medium of instruction and communication in society," said the President.

Adopted by consensus in 1992, the purpose of the United Nations Minorities Declaration is the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities and in Zimbabwe, President Mnangagwa said minority languages have been adopted as mediums of communication at learning institutions. "As a demonstration of my Government's commitment to the promotion of indigenous minority languages, a National Language Centre has been established.

This has seen, among other initiatives, the translation of national publications such as the national Constitution, our national vision and documents that relate to the socio-economic development of our country. "The extensive translation of materials related to the Covid-19 pandemic into minority languages proved invaluable to our Covid-19 National Response Strategy.

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