Issued
22 May 2015
The
Committee of the Peoples Charter (CPC) joins the African community and her Diaspora
in commemorating Africa Day. This year’s commemorations are held under the
theme: 2015 and Beyond: Engaging Agenda 2063.
Today
we stand guided by the commitment made by our leaders in the drafting and
actualization of Agenda 2063: A vision
for the Africa we want, as an important and critical step in addressing the
myriad of challenges afflicting the continent.
Agenda
2063 is premised mainly on the development of the African continent
through the ability of the African citizenry and
governments to put mobilization and ownership of continental programmes at the
core. It is also driven by the principle
of self-reliance of the continent in financing its own development; the importance
on capable, inclusive and accountable states and institutions at all levels and
in all spheres, the critical role of Regional Economic Communities as building
blocks for continental unity, and holding ourselves and our governments and
institutions accountable for results.
Agenda
2063 lays down seven important aspirations in pursuit of the Africa we want as
follows:
1) A
prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development
2) An
integrated continent, politically united and based on the ideals of Pan Africanism
and the vision of Africa’s Renaissance
3) An
Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the
rule of law
4) A
peaceful and secure Africa
5) An
Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics
6) An
Africa where development is people-driven, unleashing the potential of its
women and youth
7) Africa
as a strong, united and influential global player and partner
Today
gives us the opportunity to take stock and reflect on the strides and
endeavours made by our leaders, as individual member states and as a collective
in pursuit of these aspirations.
Of
note is the effort made towards the attainment of the aspiration of good governance, democracy, and
respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law. This aspiration is the
cornerstone to the attainment of Agenda 2063, but that continues to get little
regard from the continents leadership as corruption, civil wars, human rights
abuse and acts of terrorism continue unabated.
In
Zimbabwe today, the state of the nation is a far cry from the aforementioned
aspirations, as evidenced by the growing gap between the haves and have-nots,
the poor and the rich and more importantly the electorate and the elected. It
seems today that public office is no longer there to serve the people but has
become an instrument to ensure only those with the political connections continue
to have space at the feeding trough. This, unfortunately, is a far cry from the
ideal of equal opportunities that drove the 33 independent states that met in
1963 to form the Organization of African Unity (OAU), today known as the
African Union (AU).
The
CPC takes the occasion of Africa Day 2015, to remind the government of Zimbabwe
of the commitment it has made, together with other African states, in pursuit
of Agenda 2063. The Committee particularly implores on the government to
seriously consider the state of the national economy, as it thrives to ensure
that all citizens are given an equal opportunity to self-actualization without
a bias of political affiliation, race, ethnicity or religion.
More so, the
government should take reasonable measures to ensure that development is
people-driven, unleashes the potential of women and youth, as equal partners
and stakeholders in the sustainable development of our beautiful nation.
Issued by the CPC Information Department
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