Pressmeddelande 20 mars 2009
Utrikesdepartementet

Sweden to give SEK 84 million to Zimbabwe

Sweden is continuing to give humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable people of Zimbabwe, but substantial reforms must be initiated before Sweden can begin cooperating with the Zimbabwean government.

"The people of Zimbabwe enjoy great support from the rest of the world. Sweden is prepared to provide additional humanitarian support, but increased involvement in the country requires that implementation of reforms is immediately begun and that they have an impact in society," says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.

This week, Sweden decided to channel humanitarian aid amounting to SEK 50 million via Sida to Zimbabwe through the UN Consolidated Appeal. Together with previous decisions on support to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) amounting to SEK 34 million, Sweden has contributed a total of SEK 84 million to the people of Zimbabwe in recent weeks.

The humanitarian crisis in the country remains very serious and the current cholera epidemic has so far claimed the lives of some 4000 people. The food situation is critical and an estimated 5 million people are in need of food aid.

"It is important that all political prisoners are immediately released and that the rule of law is upheld in the country as soon as possible. Politically-motivated violence must cease, the rule of law and respect for human rights must be restored and the media must regain their freedom," says Ms Carlsson.

After months of political deadlock caused by the refusal of the ZANU-PF party and Robert Mugabe to respect the election results of last March, the MDC is now included in the government and Morgan Tsvangirai has taken up the post of Prime Minister. It is therefore absolutely vital that the MDC's position is fully respected and that the country's government can quickly reach agreement on an extensive reform agenda.

Extensive macroeconomic reforms must be introduced to curb the catastrophic economic situation in the country. Work must begin on a new constitution and on preparations for new elections.

The SEK 50 million to the UN Consolidated Appeal will be allocated among various UN bodies and NGOs (UNICEF, IOM, FAO, OCHA, World Vision, Mercy Corps and Save the Children UK). The initiatives will focus on health care, water and sanitation, various protective measures for the civilian population and support to small-scale farming so that the immediate food situation improves. The SEK 34 million of support for the ICRC is intended for measures that target the cholera epidemic.