AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the measures continued to impede Zimbabwe’s socioeconomic development.
Youssouf said the sanctions had constrained access to international financial systems, discouraged foreign direct investment and raised the cost of doing business.
The measures had also limited Zimbabwe’s ability to secure development assistance, Youssouf said. “The Chairperson remains extremely concerned by the negative impact of the unilateral sanctions on Zimbabwe’s socioeconomic development,” the AU said.
The AU said sanctions had undermined progress towards Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 development plan.
The measures were also obstructing efforts to meet Southern African Development Community regional macroeconomic convergence and integration targets.
Progress towards the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals had similarly been affected, according to the AU.
Youssouf reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts to secure the removal of the measures.
The AU also aligned itself with a statement issued by the Southern African Development Community Chairperson on behalf of the region. “The Chairperson of the AU Commission reaffirms the continued commitment of the AU to support the brotherly nation of Zimbabwe in mobilising efforts for the lifting of the unilateral sanctions,” the AU said.
–AU/ChannelAfrica–
